Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Lee.
Hi Kelsey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
One of my earliest memories was being four years old watching the 1982 movie version of the musical, “Annie”, on repeat, and being mesmerized by the dancing. I asked my parents for dance lessons every Christmas and birthday for the next four years, but my family didn’t have a lot of money growing up, and dance lessons were expensive. Eventually, my grandpa offered to pay for one lesson a week for one year. I finally started dance when I was eight years old at a ballet school in Delavan, Wisconsin called The Dance Factory. My teachers at The dance Factory helped me afford to keep dancing past the age of eight, often times paying for my costumes or letting me take classes for free in exchange for student teaching. I’m not sure they were fully aware of how much that meant to me. Being a dancer was my dream career, but dancing was also a way I escaped the dysfunction at home. It was a place to process my pain through movement and alchemize the ugly parts of my life into something beautiful.
With the help of dance scholarships, I went on to attend University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. I graduated with a BFA in Contemporary Dance & Choreography with a double major in Psychology. During college, I had the opportunity to work with esteemed choreographers through the dance department. I was also working professionally with a physical theatre company, and beginning to produce my own work as an independent choreographer.
After graduating, I wasn’t sure how my psychology degree would come into play, but I knew I wanted to keep dancing and choreographing. I lived in New York City for a short time, auditioning for Broadway shows, dancing as much as I could, acting in short films, and studying Meisner Technique. I then found my way to Ohio, where I continued to act in films, dance professionally with two modern dance companies, and choreograph independently. Like many professional dancers, I was also teaching dance. One of the places I taught at was a YMCA. There, I had a student with a developmental disability. This was my first experience teaching dance to someone that I knew had a disability. She inspired me by how much she loved dance and how hard she worked, making me to want to become a better teacher for people like her- I then knew what I wanted to do with my psychology degree! I began working one-on-one with children with autism in schools, and did this for a few years before moving to Michigan.
By this time, I had a nine-month-old baby of my own, and knew that Michigan was my final location to set down roots. I immediately noticed a lack of dance companies in West Michigan, despite all the local universities that had dance programs, and saw the opportunity to start a company. Not only did I want to create a space for me and other local dancers to perform and choreograph, but I wanted to offer dance classes to my community that were accessible. I started my nonprofit, Dance PlayHouse, in 2024 with a small group of talented local dancers, and we’ve been doing all those things since!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The arts in general are not a very smooth career path. There’s always the struggle of financing projects. I don’t pay myself, which helps, but I’ve had to get creative with how I make work. The company and I have to work very efficiently with our time, and get resourceful when it comes to costs like costumes and props. In general though, when I think about my career path as a whole up until this point, I wouldn’t describe the road as smooth or bumpy, but maybe foggy. Sometimes it can be hard to see where my career is going, so I’ve become content with just taking things slow and seeking guidance whenever I can get it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Dance PlayHouse. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Dance PlayHouse is a professional modern dance company and school housed inside Central Park Place in Grand Haven. Our classes and rehearsals take place on stage in the Acacia Theatre. We offer creative movement, ballet, and modern dance classes to children and adults. We are also partnered with two local organizations to offer classes in their centers. I teach creative movement to adults and teens with developmental disabilities at The Momentum Center, and I teach a ballet barre class to adults age 60 and over at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging. At the end of our season each Spring, we produce a dance concert featuring original dance works from our professional company and guest performers.
This season, company member Lauren Sawson and I are creating two new dance works in collaboration with local musicians, which will premiere Saturday, April 18th at our Second Annual Dance Concert. We will also be screening a dance film directed by Western Michigan University Dance alum, Kate Karaskiewicz. Additionally, this concert will feature guest performances from professional dance companies in our region, and showcase one student choreographer, Emily Schwarz, from The University of Michigan.
Two of the biggest things that set us apart from most dance schools in the area is that our teachers are professional dance artists, and that we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, committed to making dance accessible to the public. All classes and performances are donation-based, making them affordable without devaluing the quality of our programming.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was a senator for my university’s student government! If I wasn’t fully focused on my dance career, I would want to work in politics.
Contact Info:
- Website: danceplayhouse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dance_playhouse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555386939001
Image Credits
Allé Smith, Ray Nard Imagemaker, Hannah Bernhardt
