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MD Kelly

Brutiful Outsider Artist

My work as an artist is evolving and there are bits that come out that are whimsical, light, playful - which wasn't always the case.  

 

I retain the identity of "Brut" as a way of honoring my past, and not hiding in shame.

 

I wear my scars in gratitude.  For the many healers who have helped me along the way and the wonderful critters that have been of support to me, as well as the new family that I made for myself.

 

Much of what flowed through me with regard to my initial impulses was an indirect telling of stories that go beyond words, and beyond my personal story, to give expression to the voices of ALL who suffer as innocents.

 

The toll it takes on ones psyche is ENORMOUS.

 

I consider my life a miracle.

 

To reach this degree of wholeness is truly remarkable and a testament to the wonder of all things mysterious.  

 

The body wants and knows how to heal.  It simply takes the courage to say yes to the healing flow.

 

I chose to NOT let my past define me, and chose to let my life work, my calling, my passion for the arts be my medium of transformation.

 

Today, I consider myself transformed - but definitely a work in progress! 

 

I don't think we ever truly arrive do we?

 

To borrow from the dancer in my integrated/fusing/identity and gender fluid flow...

 

It is all about the process.

 

With respect,

the D in MD Kelly

(I like that!)

 

 

Dance Maker's Biography

 

Kelly went astray from her degree in economics, to enroll as a 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 an audience favorite.  Founding SonneBlauma in 1996, which evolved into ArtBark International in 2012, she has engaged in over 150 projects in the U.S. and abroad - all while managing the proverbial bread and butter careers necessary to sustain the lifework of a working class artist living in America.  Gigs ranging from the excitement of being an assistant ombuds to the stress-free zen of working as a receptionist in a law firm for a hardworking bunch of gifted attorneys (her favorite gig yet!) 

 

A contemporary Renaissance woman, with a penchant for shamanic and cathartic creations coupled with a passion for making this world a better place to be, Kelly has grown to become fluent in multiple disciplines.  Projects ranging from the complexity of designing, directing, organizing, and performing in the inaugural award winning SB ADaPT Festival to the simplicity of providing free professional dance training to artists in need. 

 

Her critically acclaimed choreographic and experimental work has been shown in Europe, New York, Connecticut, and California. Her visual art has been shown in the United States at the Faulkner Gallery, UCSB Women’s Center, the Contemporary Arts Forum and at the Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, NY and in Vienna at ContraMASS Galerie.  It has also been installed guerrilla style at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, AUSTRIA, the Lourve in Paris FRANCE, and the Norton Simon Museum.  Misa publishes under the pen name of Ginger Freedom as an indie author with her work distributed by Kindle Direct Publishing.        

 

As an educator Kelly was lead faculty for SonneBlauma Danscz Theatre.  She has also facilitated master classes at in the SonneBlauma style of the movement arts at Santa Barbara City College, Westmont College, Moorpark College.  Abroad Kelly facilitated a week long workshop in Istanbul at the Çatı movement arts center. 

 

In addition to her own creations Misa has performed in the choreography of New York artists Brian Brooks, Keigwin + Co. & Doug Elkins, as a part of the DANCEWorks project as well as Brooklyn based choreographer Trina Mannino. 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, Trina Mannino, Christina McCarthy, Christopher Pilafian, Stephen Kelly, and Tonia Shimin.

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