2012 Collaborators
Weslie Ching began dancing with SonneBlauma in 2009 performing in Stephen Kelly's Lucky Ducks at SpectorDance's Choreographer Showcase in Monterey. Since then she has performed in Misa Kelly's work at Max10, the MixMatch Festival, NECTAR, and the SB-ADaPT Festival. She is presently working with SonneBlauma prepping for their winter tour.Weslie graduated magna cum laude with a B.F.A. in dance from UC Santa Barbara in 2002. While at UCSB she was a Regent's Scholar; member of the Provost's Honors Council and the UCSB Student Dance Company; the recipient of the Sparrow scholarship for summer study, ArtsBridge scholarship for community arts outreach, Undergraduate Reseach Award for her departmental Honor's Project, and Corwin Award for choreography; and represented UCSB at the American College Dance Festival. Upon graduation she began teaching, performing and choreographing in the Orange County and Los Angeles area. She has been on faculty at the Academy for the Performing Arts Magnet High School, the Huntington Beach Community Education Program and the Regina Klenjoski Dance Company Community Program, and has performed in her own work, with Karin Jensen's Mandala DanceWorks, and Benita Bike's Dance Art, with whom she toured to Gdynia, Poland and Boston, Massachusetts. Since returning to Santa Barbara in 2007, Weslie has performed locally with Heather Carney Shea, Devyn Duex, Stephen Kelly, Emily Wheeler, and Erin Martinez.
Tina Corbett began her creative relationship with SonneBlauma in spring of 2010 when she entered Stephen's choreographic process. Although an unfortunate bicycle accident prevented her from completing the project there was a very positive outcome! Tina had planned on moving to New York but given the nature of her injury & additional surgery required she has to stay in Santa Barbara for awhile. She is presently working with both Stephen and Misa on works for their winter tour.
Tina began dancing in San Francisco Bay Area at the ripe age of 11. At Ohlone College she was a member of the FootNotes Dance Company as well as the all female company Bliss from 2007-2008. In 2009 she returned to Ohlone to choreograph Just Weight for Bliss.
Her choreographic repeater also includes works at UCSB, where she graduated in 2011 with a B.A. in Dance. While at UCSB she trained with majestic dancers like Christopher Pilafian, Nancy Colehan and Valerie Huston. While studying abroad in Siena, Italy, Tina had the serendipitous opportunity to dance with Marco Batti and New York Opera's Suzanna Marek. She also has been working with movement artist Steven Kelly since February of 2011 and is so entirely happy that her journey with the Kellys not only gets to continue, but grow. Tina enjoys setting dance to film and hopes to one day make documentaries about dance around the world.
Kevin Deelen began his relationship with SonneBlauma in Fall of 2010 entering into the creative process with 9 other Santa Barbara City College students and SonneBlauma choreographer Misa Kelly. The work that resulted, Flint, was performed for the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance's Kinesis concert. In 2011 Kevin was a part of the creative process of creating two new works for the SB-ADaPT Festival performing in both Stephen and Misa's work. Presently he is engaged in the research process for Stephen's latest work. Kevin is a student at Santa Barbara City College and also works with Rina Van De Kamp's DOZ company in Santa Ynez. Photo by Robert Salas
Mojca Majcen
Mojca Majcen (Slovenia), dancer/ballerina, became a member of the Slovenian National Ballet at the age of 20.
Moving on to pursue free-lance opportunities with many European choreographers, she is also principle dancer
with Dance Theater Igen. Laureate of many competitions - from Tokyo to Belgrade - she has appeared at more than 30 international festivals from Venice to Chile to Bejing. She began working with the Kellys via Skype,after meeting them at the SB ADaPT Festival in 2011. In the past year, she received an award for artistic achievement from the City Council of Celje, and was also voted the outstanding female dancer by the Slovenian public.
Photo of Mojca in rehearsal for Moki's Wedding by Kathee Miller.
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. Joanna is honored and inspired to be working with Misa Kelly and SonneBlauma Danscz Theatre once again. Joanna began a creative relationship with the company in 2006 performing in Misa Kelly's Twang. She spent a number of years in Istanbul and is presently living in New York. To spite the distance their creative relationship has continued. Joanna Nobbe will be performing in "Unzipped" with the company as a part of their winter tour. The performance will occur at Green Studios as a part of their Take Root series. Photo by Misa Kelly2011 Collaborators
Performance
Under No Certain Circumstances
Weslie Ching
Misa Kelly
Wallflower
Ali Angelopoulos
Sarah Block
Weslie Ching
Kevin Deelen
Gina Garoogian
Honey & Mood Productions: Regina Picker & Lerna Babikyan
Celeste Pearlman
Chris Rahlwes
Diana Replogle-Purinton
Maya Shaw Gale
Kira Purinton
Zenzelé Yossem-Guy
Flint
Tess Brennan
Rebecca Crosbie
Kevin Deelen
Christopher DeJesus
Stephen Fambro
Rene Garcia
Alexandra Hodgson
Haley Mabery
James McMahan
Chanel Mickelson
Eboni Walker
X=Y
Steven Lovelace
Misa Kelly
Atesh Bayan
Ali Alverado
Kevin Deelen
Cecily Stewart
Choreographers
Misa Kelly
Stephen Kelly
Choreographic Assistant
Melissa Block
Costume Design
Celeste Pearlman
Misa Kelly
Music
Misa Kelly
Stephen Kelly
2010 Collaborators
Performance
Welsie Ching
Melissa Block
Ray Tischer
Stephen Kelly
Misa Kelly
Choreography
Misa Kelly
Stephen Kelly
Ray Tischer
Costume Design
Misa Kelly
Photographer
Jim Boyden
2009 Collaborators
Performance
Michaun Barner
Melissa Block
Misa & Stephen Kelly
Joanna Nobbe
Monica Robles
Jacque Wiley
Choreographer
Misa Kelly
Costume Design
Misa Kelly
Photographer
Jim Boyden
Music
Misa Kelly
Stephen Kelly
2008 Collaborators
Performers
Anaya Cullen
Kaita Lepore
Erika Kloumann
Choreography
Misa Kelly
3 Cities: 3 Choreographer Collaborators
Kerstin Stuart & dancers
Louie Cornejo & dancers
Sinan Temizalp/Meditatif Dance
Joanna Nobbe
Costume Design
Anaya Cullen
Music
Misa Kelly
Stephen Kelly
Photography
Am Wu
2007 Collaborators
Performance
Anaya Cullen
Kaita Lepore
Gwenna Devries
Marcos Duran
Tarial Naxon
Natalie Van Zelm
Choreography
Misa Kelly
Costume Design
Anaya Cullen
Misa Kelly
Music
Stephen Kelly
Photography
Am Wu
2006 Collaborators
Performance
Colleen Bialas
Anaya Cullen
Devyn Duex
Joanna Nobbe
Misa Kelly
Natalie Van Zelm
Choreography
Misa Kelly
Costume Design
Anaya Cullen
Music
Stephen Kelly
2005
Performance
Colleen Bialas
Anaya Cullen
Devyn Duex
Misa Kelly
Joanna Nobbe
Choreographer
Misa Kelly