Raja Feather Kelly is an American dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn who is notable for his "radical downtown surrealist" productions which combine "pop and queer culture".[8][9] He has choreographed numerous theatrical productions, including Fairview and A Strange Loop.[8] He is the artistic director of his dance company called The Feath3r Theory,[1] and he serves as the artistic director of the New Brooklyn Theatre.[4]
Raja Feather Kelly | |
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Born | 1986 or 1987 (age 36–37)[1] |
Nationality | American |
Education | Connecticut College (BA) |
Known for | Choreography |
Awards | New York Live Arts (2019)[1] SDCF Commission Award (2019)[2][3] Randjelovic-Stryker Award (2019)[4] Harkness Promise Award (2018)[5]
Dance Web Scholar (2009)[6] National Dance Project Production Grant, 2019[7] |
Website | thefeath3rtheory |
Kelly grew up in Fort Hood, Texas and later in Long Branch, New Jersey,[8] where he graduated from Long Branch High School and was selected to participate in the theater program of the Governor's School of the Arts.[10] He attended Connecticut College where he studied English and poetry and dance, graduating in 2009.[8][11]
Reviewer Sara Aridi in The New York Times wrote that "one leaves a performance of Raja's infected by his curiosity, love of craft and just plain outrageousness."[1] His choreography was described in Vogue magazine as combining social dance with the black vernacular.[12] Critic Brian Schaefer in The New York Times wrote that Kelly's choreography has a "lighter touch, a flirty wink and a queer sensibility" that "treats pop culture as a kind of religion itself."[13] A prime influence of Kelly in his approach to dance was the American visual and pop artist Andy Warhol.[6][13] Kelly has raised money for dance production by hosting telethons out of his apartment.[14]
In 2020, Kelly directed and choreographed by an Off-Broadway production of We're Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee. It opened in Second Stage Theater's Tony Kiser Theater on February 4 and was scheduled to run through March 22.[15]
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