Meet Kelsie Steil

We recently connected with Kelsie Steil and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelsie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

In the process of resilience, I allow myself to crash and burn for a little while. I think when we first hear or read the word “resilience,” we envision a warrior or a hard wall and our bodies go stiff. Our arms and fists may tighten and we feel a swelling in the chest. I’ve shifted into recognizing that resilience can mean softness. I can fall apart for a while, call friends, sleep, cry, sit by a river, and then rebuild with newfound knowledge.

As a choreographer and dance artist, I often exist within changing conditions and stimuli. From a young age, I had a sharpened skillset for sensing the adults around me. I had to learn to anticipate unpredictable behavior. I feel it has strengthened my ability to thrive in the chaos of my work. Live performance is full of risk and potential failure. Multiple things can go wrong or right all at once. I build resilience by finding acceptance in the precarious nature of this work.

Dancers are special humans. We repeatedly engage in a practice that ends the moment it begins. Due to the fleeting nature of movement, we cyclicly experience total joy and solemn grief. I allow myself to sit with the grief. Befriending grief builds my resilience.

Not to mention the care we must give to patch up our bodies after a performance: I have clocked hours upon hours icing, self-massaging, bathing, visiting the chiropractor, having foot surgery, etc. Being a self-made repair shop takes time and skill. I feel that patience and resilience are intertwined in this case.

In this line of work, rejection is inevitable. It can be the death of an artist. I am revived by tuning back into the mission of the choreography I make and the community spaces I foster, In the magic of the creative process, there is no space for rejection. In other words, my resilience is vitalized by remembering why my art matters.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an active freelance choreographer crafting original dance works to present through Maine, New England and abroad. My portfolio comprises both live performance and dance film and has been described as cerebral, visceral, and heavily theatrical. My projects are strong in collaboration, working with artists across all mediums, including photographers, filmmakers, and music composers. I operate as a concept-driven dance maker, and deep research is a large part of my early development of a new work. Much of my work is rooted in mental health and trauma and typically starts from building a character profile based on those experiences. I believe in sharing the darkness and lightness that derive from the most truthful human experiences. I am driven by the moments where movement and message clash and I am very interested in demonstrating dissonance and a sense of unreality in the choreography I create. When working with dancers, my first aim is creating a safe, accepting and communicative environment. Channeling my background as an experiential educator, I often begin a process through deep discussion, joyful group initiatives, and games linked to the concept of the work. As a choreographer I am energized by the individual ticks of a dancer’s movement. I work to capture each artist’s unique approach and execution in my work.

Currently, I am producing an evening-length show that will premiere in January 2025. “Split My Soul” draws a parallel from life experiences in which one may need to utilize different parts of the self by demonstrating the conflict and harmony between seven complex characters. Through dynamic dance, a surreal set, and an originally composed soundscore by Michael Wall, “Split My Soul” will provide a cathartic visual experience to unpack mental health challenges and scenarios. Learn more about this production by visiting my website: kelsiesteilmovement.com/splitmysoul

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Leadership
Being a positive and innovative leader is vital in being a choreographer. The ability to truly observe people and create an environment they feel comfortable enough to access their art is a beautiful and important job. I harnessed a lot of my leadership skills as an outdoor experiential educator, which is what I have my bachelor’s degree in. As an outdoors person, and having been a leader in novel settings with various group dynamics, I have learned how to facilitate group cohesion, support and joy. With my background, I feel I approach the choreographer/dancer relationship innovatively, by placing group connection and trust first in any process. At the beginning of a production, I take a long while to create a supportive space, as I feel this is where the best art is made and where all parties can be nourished creatively. The comfortability within the cast is felt by the audience during the performance. The group discussions and fun games I facilitate with dancers are no small thing. The joy and connection transcend the small interpersonal spaces we work in and echo out into our communities.
-How to develop your leadership?
If you’re an artist, do other things outside your art that encourage you to develop leadership skills. Learn to listen and remember that there are different ways to be a leader, just like there are different ways people learn best.

2. Being patient with your dream
I am, in general, a very rushed person. When I want something, I get it done. I fly through life and barely look behind me. I find it curious that, in terms of my career as a choreographer, I am very patient. I am careful to not be forceful. I think this may be because I care so deeply that it unfolds as its supposed to, without force. My dream is almost its own living entity, that I’m watching twist, turn, and flourish. My dream is a child that I’m nurturing, and is simultaneously what makes the child inside of me jump with joy.
-How to be patient with your dream?
I try to remember how much I’m learning on a regular basis, and how much more I have left to learn. More importantly, I remember that the dream is not a single event or moment in time; I am currently within the dream, living it every day. The process is the dream.

3. “There is no other you”
As a performing artist, I have had those words chime in my head for a long time. If I work with children, I tell them this message as much as I can. I tell them because I know how easy it is to fall apart comparing yourself to others. Especially since dance is such a body-based art, you look at the bodies, beauty, and skills of other dance artists. You will never have it all. All you have is you, and you are inherently rare. Once you figure this out, you can begin your journey as a powerful force.
-How to realize “there is no other you?”
Find your skill sets and then push them to the forefront. Feel confidence in what you offer to the world, On the same token, don’t forget that your identity is not your skills. You are a human being that has skills and talent, but ultimately you are a beautiful and complex human.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Educators. Hands down. My public school educators fostered my self-efficacy, championed my creativity, held space for my absurdity, and trained me in skills of leadership, work ethic, and communication. Those skills are the basis of my success as an artist. I lucked out: my public high school had a stellar theater, music, and dance program. This program provided easy access to hone in on the mentioned life skills as well as quality training in the performing arts. Economically I wouldn’t have had the opportunity in my youth to engage in theater, music, and dance if my teachers didn’t advocate for arts in public schools. The dedication of the educators in my high school changed the trajectory of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kelsiesteilmovement.com
• Instagram: @kelsiesteilchoreo

Image Credits

Max Auger, Jennifer Hoffer, Zeb Pease