(photo by Jim Barcus)
Now a resident artist at Charlotte Street, the talented dancer is awash in opportunities in Kansas City and beyond
He’s danced in St. Louis, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and now Sam McReynolds is finding Kansas City a goldmine of opportunities.
Local audiences have had the good fortune to see McReynolds’ formidable talent in several productions by Owen/Cox Dance Group and Charlotte Street, where he is now a resident artist. “Sam was a top pick for the jurors based off his submitted solo pieces,” said Patrick Alexander, programming and studio residence manager of Charlotte Street. “I can’t wait for KC to experience what he does next in the community.”
It’s McReynolds’ fluidity that so impresses. His seemingly endless ability to flow, bend, twist and soar is magnetic.
McReynolds first danced with Owen/Cox in 2021 and has continued to perform with the company following his move to KC in 2024 for his residency with Charlotte Street, where he explores movement and improvisation with dancers and dance followers in his pop-up “GREYaRea” sessions.
In April he was one of the dancers in “Collective: Our Stories of Cancer” with Owen/Cox. Creating and performing “Don,” which honors a lung cancer survivor still living after a life sentence many years ago, was particularly meaningful, he said. He also danced with the company at the annual Spring to Dance event in St. Louis over Memorial Day weekend.
It was a busy summer. In May/June, McReynolds and LA-based dancer Raymond Ejiofor were featured in the film “We,” which won awards in Berlin, was aired at festivals in Portland and Norway and played on a digital billboard in downtown L.A.
Also in May, McReynolds performed at Heritage Days in “Stories of the 1st Ward” in the West Bottoms. His choreographed piece “Affirmed, Harness” was performed by Emara Neymour-Jackson at the Folly Theater, City in Motion Dance Theater and the Jewish Community Center. He was one of the dancers at the annual summer dance “Moving Arts” at the Folly Theater, and in September, he performed with Owen/Cox at the yearly “New Dance Partners” at Midwest Trust Center.
“To be given the opportunity to perform and share in the arts — especially with everything going on in the world right now, including the current administration’s efforts to defund, discourage and silence the arts — is an incredible privilege that I do not take lightly, and I intend to cherish and celebrate these moments as best I can,” McReynolds said. “The arts are essential. Don’t let anybody tell you different.”
McReynold’s life as a dancer began with competitive Irish dancing at age 4. He soon added ballet, tap and jazz, and at 14 began studying hip-hop with Anthony “REDD” Williams. At Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, he focused on modern and contemporary dance and moved into choreography. He performed in many hip-hop shows in the area and made it into the top 50 in Season 11 of “So You Think You Can Dance.” His dance works were chosen for the National Dance Week Festival in St. Louis in 2012, the American College Dance Association Gala in 2013 and the American Dance Festival in North Carolina in 2014.
In the summer of 2016, McReynolds was accepted into the Batsheva Dance Company Summer Intensive course in Tel Aviv. There he dove into the Gaga dance movement developed by choreographer Ohad Naharin. Gaga stresses “listening to the body, improvising, and exploring a wide range of movement qualities, including both delicacy and explosive power.” Mirrors are avoided to heighten an internal and sensorial approach.
McReynolds then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked with renowned choreographers and companies for nearly two years. He was hired for “A Mob Story” at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, returning to LA at the end of the contract.
He spent most of the next eight years with Arrogant Elbow, working with artistic director/choreographer Sarah Elgart, with whom he developed a close working relationship — the two discuss collaboration opportunities to this day.
McReynolds danced with Sidra Bell, LA Contemporary Dance, The TL Collective and others. He won Best New Filmmaker Award for his film “Proclamation” at the Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival in 2021. In a column about Owen/Cox Dance Group’s summer 2022 production of “Skin,” Steve Paul singled out McReynolds’ “gut-wrenching lead” in a performance of the Helen Gillet song, “Shepherd’s Lung.”
McReynolds’ live works were presented at numerous venues, such as L.A. Dance Festival: International Exchange 2023. He taught and choreographed an original work for 10-to-13-year-olds at the Joffrey West LA Summer Intensive in 2022 and returned in 2023 to train teens and pre-professionals. He also taught at Joffrey West San Francisco Summer Intensive in 2024 and 2025. Locally, he joined the faculty of the Kansas City Ballet Academy in September 2024.
Upcoming McReynolds’ events include two performances at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave. From Nov. 28-30 he will present “Kurve Ball Dancer’s Showcase,” featuring new works and improv jam, and on Valentine’s Day weekend 2026 he will team up there with Óscar Trujillo, co-choreographing and performing an evening-length performance exploring the depth and complexities within queer relationships.
For more information about upcoming performances, visit greenwoodsocialhall.com/events.
