Colin Dees

Colin Dees is a percussionist, composer, and interdisciplinary artist based in Lafayette, Indiana. As a musician in dance, he has long viewed dance accompaniment not only as a rewarding collaborative effort but as its own unique artistic medium. Colin spent several years accompanying modern and West African technique classes at Kent State University, where he was involved with the Jose Limon Summer Intensive and the American College Dance Association 2017 East-Central conference. He has also held accompanist positions at the University of Akron, Canton Ballet, Youngstown State University, and Kelli Sanford’s Real Edge Dance Company. Colin has composed music in collaboration with the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company, Purdue’s Xperimental Concert Series, Berlin-based choreographer Taylor Unwin, and Colombian interdisciplinary theatre artist Sergio Sierra. Recently, his music has been heard at the Iowa Choreography Festival and Theater im Delphi in Berlin.

He has performed on drum set with Pneu City Jazz Quartet, blues guitarist Cleveland Fats, hard rock band John Dante and the Inferno, and the original indie rock band Anchor the Moon. As a chamber musician, he appeared with Akros Percussion Collective in 2014 to premiere Stuart Saunders Smith’s The Great Chain of Being. In his role as an interdisciplinary artist, Colin collaborated with Northeast Ohio pianist and artist Susan Covey to present a street piano incorporating percussion instruments in Downtown Akron. Additionally, he has spent many years as a music educator teaching private lessons, coaching drumlines, and performing educational concerts throughout the greater Akron/Cleveland area. Colin holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Akron.

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