Kourtney A. Surgent is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, educator, and embodied activist whose work lives at the intersection of performance, justice, and personal truth. A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, and proud alumna of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (BFA), Kourtney’s roots are steeped in southern culture, resilience, and rhythm. These influences echo throughout her movement, pedagogy, and community practice.

Now based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, she continues to create, mentor, educate, and perform with companies and collectives across North Texas. Her professional dance journey has stretched from coast to coast—California to New York—and abroad, including performances across Canada and with the Disney Cruise Line and The Walt Disney Company overseas. This breadth of experience has shaped her into a bold, adaptive artist with a global consciousness and deep reverence for cultural storytelling.

 

Kourtney’s artistic foundation is layered with training in stage management, costume design, and a rich blend of techniques including her formative studies at The Ailey School in New York City. Yet it is not only performance that defines her—it is her voice, vision, and conviction.

She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Texas Woman’s University, where she explored Embodied Activism and ARTivism (Art Activism)—movement-based research dedicated to illuminating stories too often left in the shadows. While there, she choreographed and performed original works and served as a Graduate Student Representative on the university’s Fine Arts Search Committee, actively shaping the academic future of the department.

Kourtney is currently a PhD candidate whose scholarly inquiry centers on motherhood, systemic inequality, and community-based advocacy. Her work interrogates the structural barriers faced by parents and caregivers—particularly women—and examines how social transformation can be achieved through nonprofit leadership, collective care, and artistic truth-telling.

 

Select career highlights include:

Finalist for the 2023 Irma P. Hall “Best Choreographer” Award for What To Send Up When It Goes Down

Regional recognition by the American College Dance Association (ACDA) for Black Woman Steps Up to Mic, a choreographic work amplifying silenced narratives

Six years of impact as a school district Dance Director, guiding over 800 students through education, coaching, and mentorship

Ambassador and 2018 cover artist for Brown Girls Do Ballet’s “We Assemble” Calendar, where she uplifted representation for young dancers of color

Film and commercial work with Kim Dawson Modeling Agency, Bloc NYC, and the Fort Worth Opera

Performance collaborations with nationally respected choreographers and artists across genres

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At the heart of her practice is a commitment to radical honesty, care, and restoration. Whether in a studio, a theater, or a classroom, Kourtney creates spaces where voices long unheard—regardless of background—can be seen, valued, and powerfully expressed through the transformative language of art.

She believes art is not simply something we make; it’s something we live. And through that living, we remember, we resist, and we rise.