Cicely A. Kelley

Biography

Cicely A. Kelley has been a Faculty Member Since 2017 and is Co-director of Spelman Dance Theatre and Senior Lecturer.

Regardless of the location of the stage, theater, studio, concert venue or even a football field, Cicely Kelley has left her mark. After being trained by some of the greatest names in dance at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, the Atlanta native has forged a career that spans all genres of dance and crosses multiple industries - from sports to advertising to entertainment and beyond.

Kelley’s list of accomplishments is extensive and audiences around the world have been entertained by her dance moves. Her choreography and mesmerizing performances have been featured by the Atlanta Falcons both in national commercials and during halftime entertainment. Other choreography credits include the Fugees European tour, Musiq Soulchild Stir the Senses tour, and Toni Braxtons 2010 tour and television performances. Kelley danced with Beyoncé Knowles in her video for Get Me Bodied and during her performance of the hugely popular Single Ladies during the 2009 MTV VMAs.

FULL BIO

Cicely Kelley Resume Experience (PDF)

Education

• M.F.A., Dance, The University Of The Arts

• Dance Performance & Choreography, Spelman College (degree pending)

Courses Taught

• Principles of Jazz

• Jazz Funk

• Commercial Hip Hop

• Ballet

• Choreographing Lives

• Art of Teaching Dance

• Dance for Camera

• First-Year Experience

• Co-director of Spelman Dance Theatre

Research Interests

• Commercial Dance Education

• Film & TV

• Black Performance Theory

• Diasporic Spidering

• Black Female Body in performance through the lens of trans-temporality

Artist Statement
As a creator, my passion is to create art that has all of the elements of my upbringing yet will be used as a vehicle to tell the stories of the Black women, mothers, aunties, etc., for generations to come. I desire to make art that matters and inspires spectators to their core as well as make them challenge their own perspectives and biases. Work to make you think, fuel your soul, and/or frustrate you to induce change in whichever ecosystem you reside.

Select Publications

My Research

Artist Book: Le corps d’une femme noire américaine.
A body of work focused on the Black female body in American culture from past to present, through a trans-temporal lens of a Fictive Sisterhood Kinship.

Select Performances

My Work
Instructor and Advisory Board Member
Podcast: Sole Talk 19: Cici Kelley, Co-Founder of Dare Dream Dance Studio
VOP

News & Notes

Q&A: CiCi Kelley on choreographing the roots of jazz in Bolden, the motion picture
Life and Work With CiCi Kelley
CiCi Kelley Presents “Phazes of Love” Choreographers Extravaganza