ArtBark
Misa Kelly - physical theater, choreography, performance installation, visual art
SANTA BARBARA, CA USA
Misa Kelly went astray from her degree in economics, to enroll as dance major at the age of 28. Feeling for years like the ugly duckling, she has made a splash as the awkward swan with audiences from Istanbul to New York, presenting and performing work consistently described as the audience favorite. Founding SonneBlauma in 1996, which evolved into ArtBark in 2012, she has engaged in over 125 projects. Projects ranging from directing the SB ADaPT Festival to providing free professional dance training to low-income dancers. One recent highlight was directing an evening of opera, tabla virtuosos, performance art, aerial dance, and political theater in the industrial zone of Santa Barbara. Misa has grown to become an interdisciplinary creativity specialist that collaborates with artists both in the United States and Europe. She works in the mediums of dance, physical theater, visual art, performance installation, film, photography & experimental and exploratory genres. Her critically acclaimed work has been shown abroad at the AFL Kultur Merzkezi in Istanbul, has toured California as a part of the 3 Cities: 3 Choreographers project and has also toured to participate in other California Festivals including MAX10, the MixMatch Festival, the Monterey Dance Festival and the SpectorDance Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase. Kelly has also toured to New York presenting work in Green Space Studios “Take Root” & “Fertile Ground” series as well as the COOL New York Dance Festival. As an educator Kelly opened up her company class to the community to provide free professional training to low-income artists and has taught master classes at Santa Barbara City College, Westmont College, Moorpark College. Additionally Kelly led a week long workshop at in Istanbul at the Çatı movement arts center. Her work has also been shown in many venues in Santa Barbara, CA U.S.A. including Fishbon, Center Stage Theater, Yoga Soup, Montecito School of Ballet, Faulkner Gallery, UCSB Women’s Center, the Contemporary Arts Forum, in public spaces, and Guerrilla style at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
In addition to her own creations Misa has performed in the choreography of New York artists Keigwin + Co. & Doug Elkins as a part of the DANCEWorks project. Santa Barbara based companies & movement artists she has worked with include Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, Mark Parisian Mime Troupe, James Donlon, Motion Dance Theatre, Smudges Performance Group, Christine Loizeaux, Christina McCarthy, Christopher Pilafian, Stephen Kelly, and Tonia Shimin. She is currently engaged in a project with members of the Santa Barbara community in Brian Brooks choreography being shaped as a part of his DANCEWorks residency.
Misa will be sharing her choreographic works Moki's Wedding, Quixote, an installation of her life drawings & will also perform Unzipped with collaborator and co-creator of the work, Joanna Nobbe.
Press Quotes
“gorgeously multi-layered”
Noozhawk
“witty”
Santa Barbara Independent
“striking and surreal”
Santa Barbara News Press
“astonishingly gifted”
Santa Barbara News Press
“the result was electric”
Santa Barbara Independent
“teasing humor and a sense of freedom”
Santa Barbara Independent
"The work “stood out for” for its “deep & honest exploration of what it is to be human…a gutsy searching solo”
Santa Barbara Independent
“Kelly, a woman slight in stature, proved an overwhelming and formidable presence on stage in her work which used her own vocalizations in a psychological journey.”
Dance Plug
“Kelly’s pieces – especially Nadar Sabe Mi Llama el Agua Fria – explored the coexistence of athletic genius and disability in the same body, while maintaining an insistence on aesthetic appeal.”
L.A. Yoga Magazine
Stephen Kelly - choreography
SANTA BARBARA, CA USA
Stephen Kelly is a classically trained pianist who has performed solo concerts in France, Spain, and Costa Rica, as well as across the United States. He received his primary training from Galina Michniuk and Erno Daniel. Locally, he has presented numerous recitals at the Music Academy of the West, as well as three solo performances at the Lobero Theatre, including one presented by the Santa Barbara Symphony. His studies of classical Indian music have been with Krishna Govinda and Hom Nath Upadhyaya of Nepal, as well as with Montino Bourbon of the Ali Akbar Khan gharana. As a dancer, he trained for two years in the majors program at UCSB, and continued his work under the great jazz dancer Matt Maddox in Paris, and later, with the flamenco master Pepe Mancilla in Spain. In Europe, he played for the classes of Josette Amiel (Paris Opera Ballet) and company class of Ballets Blaska. He has been invited to witness the choreographic process of Lucas Hoving, Felix Blaska, and Remy Charlip. He has collaborated with a number of choreographers and dance companies, performing live onstage, as well as serving as music director and composer. His performance at the Luckman Auditorium in Los Angeles with Nancy Colahan was termed “superb” by the Los Angeles Times. As a choreographer, he has been privileged to work with some of the finest professional dancers from the Colorado Ballet, State Street Ballet, and Santa Barbara Dance Theater. Together with Juliana Bertelson, he served as co-producer for two seasons of the “Endangered Species” dance collective at Center Stage Theater.
His recent choreographic work is Atesh, Bayan, created for the 2011 SB ADaPT Festival. Reviews in the Santa Barbara News-Press praised Atesh as “a brilliant trio” and also declared “Kelly’s original music was amazingly imaginative.”
Mojca Majcen - dancer
CELJE, SLOVENIA
Photo of Mojca in "Moki's Wedding" by Kathee Miller.Mojca Majcen is a dancer and ballerina, who started to dance as a young girl. In 1998 she graduated with honors from the National Ballet Conservatory Maribor. During her educational period she danced several classical ballets in the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor. After graduation she continued her dance education abroad (Budapest, St. Petersburg, Scotland, Vienna, Netherlands). In 2000, she joined Dance Theatre Igen, where she focused on modern dance techniques and its integration with the theater. In 2009 she was promoted to a soloist of Dance Theatre Igen, during her engagement to Igen she participated in several full-length dance performances, and danced in numerous dance festivals abroad. As a dancer of Dance Theatre Igen she has received numerous international awards: • First prize at the Choreographic Miniatures in 2000 in Belgrade • Second Prize and Special Jury Prize at Tokyo Dance Platform • Jarmila Jerabkova third prize award in Prague • more awards in the competition of young dancers of Slovenia OPUS. In the past two years as a soloist of Dance Theatre IGEN she danced in Lady of the Camellias. The performance has toured in many major international festivals, within the invitation of the renowned dance artist , in 2010 it was presented at the Venice Biennale and in the finals of international competitions in Poland and in 2011 in.Choreographic competition, Beijing China. In 2011 she received an award for artistic achievements in dance by the Municipality of Celje, Slovenia. She is a member of Ballet Association of Slovenia, a guest dancer of happy family Theatre Netherlands and Art Bark from USA. She worked with many Slovenian and international choreographers.
In 2012 she has started to collaborate with ART BARK as a guest dancer. She danced in MISA KELLY'S choreographies: "A BAO QU", "MOKI'S WEDDING" and STEPHEN KELLY'S "FALLING AND FLYING".
Press Quotes
Slovenian reviews associated with her award for artistic achievements and when she was voted the most outstanding female dancer in 2011.
"Mojca Majcen is a modern ballerina with an incredible power of physical expression, strong performing and acting skills. Her dance expression is conquering stages and the audience around the world and promoting the Celje and the Slovenian culture far beyond our borders.
Without doubt Mojca Majcen is one of the most distinctive dancers from Slovenia, her virtuosity and passion for dancing will help her to dance in the future on many world stages and will continue to promote the Celje and the Slovenian culture."
Joanna Nobbe - physical theater, choreography, performance installation
NEW YORK, NEW YORK USA
Joanna Nobbe is a native of Carpinteria and now lives in New York City. She has a general interest in
human biobehavioral engagement with the world and organizes her life, including dance, around these interests.
Jo and Misa began their artistic relationship in 2005 when Jo graciously offered her creative energies to a SonneBlauma Danscz Theatre as a dancer and collaborator.
Spending a number of years in Turkey Jo was an active member of the Cati community facilitating SonneBlauma's adventures to Istanbul to teach a week long workshop at Cati. Her work there included original performance art presentations.
Jo and Misa continue to create together whenever the opportunity arises. Their most recent project has been the creation of "Unzipped" which was premiered in New York February of 2012. Joanna will perform Unzipped in Vienna and will also engage in site specific Street Art movement explorations with Misa.