Kelly O'Connor

Kelly O’Connor was born and raised in sunny Pasadena, CA where she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, and Contemporary at Pasadena Civic Ballet Center from age 3 to 18. She went on to earn her BFA in Dance with a minor in applied psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While at UCSB Kelly had the opportunity to perform throughout Santa Barbara and Europe with the UCSB Dance Company for 2 seasons, performing the work of notable choreographers such as Shen Wei, Andrea Miller, Monica Bill Barnes, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Anna Halprin, Yvonne Rainer, and Jose Limon. After graduating Kelly performed with Motion Theater Dance Company in Santa Barbara for one season before returning to Pasadena to focus on her own choreography and method for teaching contemporary dance and improvisation to kids and teens. Kelly spent 2018-2021 creating and performing in her own work in Los Angeles, as well as teaching improvisation and contemporary dance to ages 8-18. Kelly’s interest in dance has become focused on understanding the nuances of how dancing can improve mental health and strengthen the development of emotional intelligence. Kelly’s teaching method is rooted in creating a safe classroom space for students to authentically explore and grow their relationship to movement and music. On top of that Kelly is passionate about providing a strong foundation of modern and contemporary dance techniques so that students can develop the physical strength and somatic awareness that is needed to discover their full capacity for creative expression.