Kelly King

Kelly (she/hers) is the founder and Artistic Director of Contradiction Dance Theatre, making dances for theatre, film, stage, and street... and all the places people go in-between. Playing in several artistic sandboxes at once, Kelly serves the creative community as an educator, choreographer, consultant, advocate and audience member. For over 15 years she has worked with teachers and students on adaptive movement bringing dance to all types of students. She has founded three dance programs, including the CityDance Center at Strathmore and Contradiction Dance; led professional development workshops for educators
nationwide; consulted for the DC Collaborative for the Arts and Humanities; and served St. Mary’s College of Maryland teaching all levels of improvisation, composition, jazz and modern dance. Currently, Kelly teaches beginners through professional levels of dance to students ranging from pre-school to senior citizens, including adults with disabilities. She also leads Moving Dialogues workshops to engage and empower non-dancers in the artistic process through their own writing and movement. As a trainer in arts integration, she leads workshops designed to create the next generation of master educators. Kelly has performed nationally and internationally for several dance companies, notably BodyWise Dance, CityDance Ensemble (Associate Director), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Echo Park Contemporary Ballet, and JazzDanzDC. She has performed with production companies, including Cirque du Soleil, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Cast of Thousands. Choreography credits include
projects with The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, The Source Festival, Forum Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Taffety Punk Theatre Company, M productions at the Anacostia Arts and site specific work for the #DanceAboutDC series.