Today we’d like to introduce you to Celine Kiner.
Hi Celine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started dancing at a local studio when I was three or four — your standard ballerina beginnings. I loved to perform, and I danced everywhere as publicly as I could, pursuing a pretty rigorous classical training through high school.
It wasn’t until I started college at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance that I fell deeply in love with process. Hours upon hours in the studio, creating, researching, dancing set my brain was on fire; I discovered that this practice stretched my mental capacity the way no academic studies ever had. And I was exposed to so many new worlds in movement languages, brilliant choreographers, multidisciplinary work.
After graduation, I took a step away from dancing to work in arts administration, specializing in communications. I love to translate the artistic process into more accessible terms, and that exchange is so important to me from both sides. I find purpose in advocating for the artist and in making the ‘high arts’ available to all.
Last summer, I found my way to Dance Church (shoutout to Kate Wallich), a warm community hug of a dance space where I rediscovered the joy of movement. Enough sweaty, euphoric Tuesday nights and I knew I wanted to dance professionally again. Since then I’ve been reimagining my movement practice with a very different perspective.
I’ve been fortunate enough recently to perform with Wallich at LA Dance Project for Frieze Los Angeles, work with a local company, and start developing an accessible ballet class that opens the form to all levels, bodies, and abilities. I’m also a graphic designer and dance writer, and my work has been published with DIYdancer Magazine, Trash Mag, LA Dance Chronicle, and more.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
During college, I was simultaneously coming to terms with my mixed identity (I’m half Filipino, half white) and the exclusionary body standards of the ballet and Western dance worlds. I was cast in solo roles for informal midterms but never in the public performances. I wasn’t a “ballerina type.”
I started writing a lot more around this time: poetry, process articles and blogs for the School’s website, and eventually joined the staff at the LA Dance Chronicle. I had always loved to write, but suddenly writing was a way to showcase my virtuosity in dance when people couldn’t see it on my body. It opened a new world of understanding for me and has allowed me to meet some incredible people, and see some life-changing dance.
At my first dance job out of college, I was hired via video reel and demoted to understudy once the choreographer saw in person that I had gained weight. It crushed me, and after I finished the job, I stopped dancing for a while, and the pandemic hit.
Out of necessity, I followed an arts administration career path. My writing skills and design background plus an insatiable love for the performing arts made it seem like a natural fit. But spending the entire day at my desk wasn’t fulfilling, and my mental health suffered until I started moving regularly again (and found a therapist).
Now, I’m exponentially more grateful that my body can move. And I’m less willing to take shit. I’m tired of the antiquated ideals the dance industry still carries, whether that be through institutions or powerful individuals. And I’m always looking for ways to dismantle those.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a huge nerd. By that I mean I love dance so much that I can’t be cool about it. I think my biggest strength as an artist is my curiosity, which bleeds into both my dancing and my writing. I am always up for investigating dance, for sharing dance, for learning more.
A choreographer I absolutely adore recently told me that I “write with the spirit of dance,” which touched me so deeply. I take great pride in advocating for my community, and I have learned to approach my writing (especially reviews) with the intention of serving the artist. I don’t always achieve that, but I try really hard. I think a lifetime of movement research informs that approach and the way I can tap into an artist’s intentions.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I trained through high school at a ballet studio in Santa Clarita, where I was lucky to have a few teachers who saw potential and invested their time in my growth. I am eternally grateful to d. Sabela grimes and Patrick Corbin at USC, who were and continue to be excellent teachers and mentors. Bret Easterling has trusted me where I didn’t trust myself, which is such a gift.
I’ve been blessed to build a community of strong and capable women who have advocated for me, supported me, and taught me so much: Lara Wilson, Leigh Ann Hahn, Delphine Vasko, Cecile Oreste, Candice Thompson and Stephanie Wolf.
My family and my partner, Will, have always supported my creative endeavors, and without them, I wouldn’t have the freedom (or privilege) to pursue them. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank A’raelle Flynn-Bolden for pushing me to come back to dancing when I needed it most.
Contact Info:
- Website: celinekiner.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/celinekiner
Image Credits
Personal photo: Carolyn DiLoreto Photos 1 & 2 (roof, staircase): Carolyn DiLoreto Photo 3 (studio): Margaret Leyva Photo 4 (pier): Patrick Saulo
