1956–1995
Keith McDaniel, wrote critic Tobi Tobias, was “a sensational dancer.” Shirley MacLaine agreed, saying, “He was dynamic, strong, and possessed a muscled body that inspired awe on the stage.” A Chicago native, McDaniel was known around the world as a master of modern dance technique, performing with a quiet radiance and a natural sense of dramatic nuance.
He began his career with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1975, where he performed, among other roles, as a wide-eyed youngster in Donald McKayle’s “District Storyville” and Talley Beatty’s “Stack-Up;” a sensual lover in Elisa Monte’s “Treading,” and an ecstatic baptismal celebrant in Ailey’s “Revelations.”
After he left the Ailey Company in 1983, he turned to Broadway, appearing first in Leader of the Pack, then Kiss of the Spider Woman as a lead dancer and dance captain, partnering with Chita Rivera “like a chivalrous, prowling cat.” He moved to Los Angeles to work in film, television and music videos, appearing in Beaches, Great Balls of Fire, The Lady Killers, and Basic Instinct. On television, he was seen on the Tracey Ullman Show, Moonlighting, and several Academy Awards broadcasts.
“He was,” remembered Matt Tapscott, his partner, “a very kind, caring, loving and spiritual person who was totally committed to his career and his family.”