[1] Boykin was born in Durham, North Carolina,[2] where she started taking dance classes at the age of four.
[2] After leaving Howard University, Boykin commenced study at The Ailey School; while still a student there, she was invited to be a founding member of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson's Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
[1] In 2000, Boykin was invited to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
[1] Called "a small force of nature on the stage"[6] by The New York Times, in her career with Ailey she has performed an extensive repertoire in 71 countries across six continents.
[9] Boykin also works as an educator, and joined the faculty of the University of Southern California (USC)'s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as the artist in residence for the 2019-2020 academic year.