David Parsons

David Parsons was born in 1959 in Chicago and raised in Kansas City.

Parsons was active in various sports as a child, particularly floor gymnastics, and specialized in the trampoline. In 1972, at age 13, he began studying modern dance with Cliff Kirwin and Paul Chambers. In 1974, he trained in a summer dance course in Colorado with Hanya Holm. In 1977, he received a scholarship from the Alvin Ailey School of Dance, where he studied the Horton and Graham techniques and classical ballet. He left the school after eight months to study sound and recording engineering.
In 1978, Parsons was invited to join the Paul Taylor Dance Company as a substitute dancer. He remained in the company and became one of its leading dancers in 1978-87. At the same time, he began trying his hand at choreography.

In 1987, he founded a dance company under his own name, which toured the US that same year, and went on a world tour in 1988.
Parsons choreographed for various companies worldwide, including the Berlin Opera Ballet in 1982, and the New York City Ballet, which he accompanied for three years (1988-91). Commissioned by artistic director David Dvir, Parsons choreographed three dances for Batsheva: Inner Rhythm, for which he also designed the costumes, and The Envelope (1986); and Linton (1987).
Parsons in the recipient of numerous degrees and awards, including the National Artist Award by the University of Arizona in Tucson for his outstanding work with young people (1999) and the American Choreography Award (2001). He has an MFA in dance from Jacksonville University and an honorary doctorate from the University of Kansas City. He teachers, lectures and gives workshops.