Mr. Parson, a native Trinidad and Tobago, and a dancer and musician from the age of 10, Patrick Parson draws much of his inspiration from the vibrant multicultural community that makes up the Caribbean.

Patrick spent his early years singing in choirs, composing and singing calypsos, playing with steel orchestras, dancing and drumming with community folk groups, and studying ballet and modern dance at the Caribbean School of Dance and the Dance Academy of Trinidad and Tobago. He was trained in the dance and drumming styles of Guinea and Senegal by Mor Thiam, the Artist Director of Les Ballets Africans, and in Canada graduated from the school of the Toronto Dance Theatre.
  

Patrick's founding of Ballet Creole in 1990 brought Black Dance to mainstream Canadian audiences, establishing the Company as the forerunner of Black Dance in Canada. Patrick is the recipient of the Entrepreneurial Award of Merit from the African Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, and the New Pioneers Award from Skills for Change, for his pioneering work in the world of dance in Canada. He has served as cultural adviser to the Toronto Arts Council, Metro Cultural Affairs, Ontario Arts Council, Harbourfront Centre, Laidlaw Foundation, and the Arts Advantage Program at Downsview Secondary School.

Mr. Parson holds a Masters Degree in Dance Ethnology from York University where he is professor in the Faculties of Fine Arts and Kinesiology. He extensively conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations for Universities and schools in Ontario. Through extensive studies at the Katherine Dunham Institute for Humanities, Patrick has been awarded certification as a teacher of the Dunham Technique.