MEET RAJA FEATHER KELLY

“Teaching allows me to realize what I believe to be a principle responsibility of artists: to practice communicating information to a public so they can relate alternatively and effectively to society, culture, politics, psychology, and of course, one another.”

Raja Feather Kelly, courtesy of the artist

Choreographer/director Raja Feather Kelly is the artistic director of dance-theatre-media company the feath3r theory (founded in 2009). Raja has been awarded a Creative Capital Award (2019), a National Dance Project Production Grant (2019), a Breakout Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (2018), Dance Magazine's inaugural Harkness Promise Award (2018), the Solange MacArthur Award for New Choreography (2016), and is a three-time Princess Grace Award winner (2017, 2018, 2019). In 2019–2020 Raja was the Randjelovic/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist at New York Live Arts and is an inaugural Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. Professionally, Raja has performed with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, David Dorfman Dance, Kyle Abraham|Abraham.In.Motion, and zoe | juniper. Since 2016, Raja has choreographed extensively for Off-Broadway theatre in New York City, most notably for Signature Theatre, Soho Rep, and New York Theatre Workshop and Playwrights Horizons. He was born in Fort Hood, Texas and holds a B.A. in Dance and English from Connecticut College.

Learn more here.

Work

The Absolute Future (2024) at NYU Skirball Center

Wednesday (2020)

Starlings (2023) at the New York City Ballet

The Fires (2024)

mentor profile

Queer|Art|Mentorship will be accepting applications from emerging artists across the country. Are you open to working with someone remotely, or would you prefer they are based in the same city as you?

“Prefer based in the same city.”

What interests you about mentoring?

“Learning.”

Given your experience and interests, what kind of emerging artist do you feel best positioned to support?

“Those who are active and eager to work.”

As a mentor, what would you like to offer an emerging artist? What would you like to receive?

“[I would offer] a place of comfort, [and I would like to receive] something new”

Have you had mentors of your own? Who have they been?

“Yes, many, people who have pushed me to find myself.”