Kaelynn Shinkaruk - Artistic Statement and Bio

Kaelynn Shinkaruk - Artistic Statement

I am a choreographer that believes in the power of collaborative endeavours through the interdisciplinary aspects of a performance; the screen, stage, installations and public space. My work primarily focuses on social themes, which demonstrates the authenticity, vulnerability and transformative experiences for both the dancer and audience. I am influenced by societal issues surrounding technology, media culture and site-specific public spaces. I want to empower people, communities, and societies by exposing dance into public settings. A theme I explore is the sublime, which connects movement to one’s emotional response to being overpowered and overwhelmed. The sublime investigates our mode of existence, which may have the answers, but the process is the most fundamental aspect. I created a piece that revealed my reaction to the power of human nature, which demonstrated explosive movement patterns that competed with the external power.

My responsibility is to allow the audience to feel something, move them and nudge them to question what they just witnessed and recognize a connection to their surroundings or personal experiences. I am passionate about creating art that empowers the performers to awaken their creative voice through movement, which allows me to invite the audience to engage in an open dialogue of communication. Through body movement, visual imagery, technology and props, I create thought arousing and optically invigorating dance experiences that stir the emotions of the audience. Using discomfort as a catalyst for artistic growth, it forces me to change, adapt and be flexible to meet the needs of my dancers and the story that needs to be told. My mantra is to give myself permission to think and act beyond the usual. As an artist, I let my imagination take control, embrace the chaotic, and most importantly, be present and open-minded to the process. 

Kaelynn Shinkaruk: Biographical Statement

Kaelynn was born in Edmonton, Alberta and started dancing at the age of 3 years old. Her first dance class was at Sandra Gray School of Dancing, where Sandra Gray nurtured her love for dance. She has trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Lyrical, Tap, Broadway, Pointe and Ukrainian dancing. She received her Vaganova Technique Training, which led her to audition for the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive Program in New York City. Upon receiving acceptance into the Summer Intensive, she was offered a scholarship to their prestigious Trainee Program. Currently, she is a third year student attending Simon Fraser University School of Contemporary Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia with a Major in Dance and Communications. Simon Fraser University has facilitated her with the opportunity to collaborate with local Vancouver artists, create her own work and receive a post-secondary education. Most recently, she performed in the SFU production Topophilia and the 2018 Mainstage. She believes in the power of cross-training to bring strength, mind and body awareness to her movement.