20 QUESTIONS: Tu Dancer

I had the pleasure of working with Katelyn on The Moving Co’s Come Hell and High Water. I knew she was something special the first time I saw her move. Go see her in whatever thing she’s in next. Don’t bring her doughnuts, though. Name: Katelyn Skelley Occupation: Dancer Minneapolis or St. Paul? Minneapolis. 1) How did you end up doing the work you do? My mom grew up at Minnesota Dance theater under the direction of Loyce Houlton and was an amazing dancer in her own right. When MDT starting to work it’s way back in the late 1980’s, my mom brought me to a production of The Nutcracker Fantasy at the Aveda Institute. Soon after, I started classes at MDT and never stopped dancing.  2) Who’s/What’s your nemesis? Why? I don’t think I have one.  3) How long have you lived in the Cities?/What brought you here? I’m originally from here but moved back in 2009 after being offered a contract with TU Dance.  4) Preferred place to be if you’re alone and incapacitated? On my Grandma’s couch in Cocoa Beach. 5) How often do you call home? It depends. 6) Best performance space in the Twin Cities. Why? From a performers point of view, I love the Southern. I’m so at home there and when it comes to having an audience in the space, I feel like I’m able to really connect and simply share my work with them. I also really love what Jon Ferguson is doing by creating performance venues out of different spaces in the city, such as Forage Modern workshop.   7) Favorite performer, living or dead. Why? When I started to think about performers, Sarah Agnew came to mind. She is amazing to me. She’s so brave but not in a heroic kind of way, you can see mischief and creativity brewing in every moment and her performance isn’t inhibited. She’s crazy and funny and beautiful all at once.  8) Most hated dessert? Any fruity candy variety. 9) What annoys you about the Twin Cities arts scene? I wish there was more cross over between forms, specifically dance and theater. We have such amazing artists in the Twin Cities and I crave more opportunities to collaborate with actors, singers, designers, writers, and directors in a real way; to endure a long process and create an evening length work that eventually tours. I think people are scared to go out of their comfort zone. There are some exceptions, of course.  10) Arts awards shows and/or “best of” lists in the Twin Cities: go. I think most of those things are political and predictable.  11) Donuts: awesome or overrated? I haven’t gotten into the donut craze. 12) Best thing about the Twin Cities arts scene? The amount of local work that is going on ALL the time. I can’t keep up. Also, the work that the Walker brings through.  13) What song or songs best describe your life? Something with a beat, a pulse, an unpredictable rhythm, repetition, silence, suspension and release.  14) Out of any living Minnesotan, who would you pick as the next Governor of Minnesota? Why? ? 15) Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter? I’m feeling Fall.   16) Favorite adult beverage? A really good beer.  17) Pajamas: necessary or a waste of laundry space? I just wear what’s comfortable.  18) Favorite “luxury” item with which to treat yourself? An amazing meal and wine.  19) What rituals do you have concerning your work?/How do you prepare? I try to stay as calm as possible while in the studio so I can be open and receptive. I wake up, have coffee and get to the studio early to do a gentle warm-up before class. Class is from 9:30-11 and rehearsal 11-4:30pm. When we are in the thick of things I usually take an epsom salt bath at night and roll out a bit. I find that I’m constantly trying to neutralize my body between times of intense rehearsal. This is all in an ‘ideal’ day, of course.   20) You have $500,000 to spend on whatever you want, as long as it’s not on something personal. What would you do with it? So many things!! But I immediately thought about the students at TU Dance. Toni, Uri and Abdo have created an amazing place for young people to come and learn about themselves, build confidence and form lasting relationships all through Dance! It would be great to set up a fund for really promising students to help keep them dancing after leaving TU. Get them through University and provide a little support for a year or so after graduation, so that they can keep dancing and honing and training until they get a job or life takes them elsewhere.