Shaun James Kelly is a Soloist and Resident Choreographer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. After winning the Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award hosted by the RNZB with his work Blanć in 2016, he went on to create Aura, which was featured in the RNZB’s 2017 ‘Tutus on Tour’ programme, which toured through out New Zealand. Shaun brought his work to the runway as part of New Zealand Fashion Week 2017, choreographing a work for eight RNZB dancers that featured in New Zealand designer Andrea Moore’s catwalk show modelling her ‘I AM Fit’ collection. In 2018 Shaun brought the famous red cape to life in his telling of the classic story Little Red Riding Hood. ‘Little Red’ was performed in Wellington and Auckland reaching over 5,000 people. In 2019 Shaun was commissioned to make a main stage work titled ‘The Ground Beneath Our Feet’ which was performed as part of the RNZB ‘Choreographic Series’. Shaun’s most recent project, in collaboration with the RNZB and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is Stravinsky’s well-loved pocket-sized theatre piece, The Soldier’s Tale, written “to be read, played and danced”. Shaun will create the choreography for this production working alongside Director Sara Brodie. As part of NZSO’s 2021 season ‘Setting Up Camp’, The Soldier’s Tale will be performed all over Aotearoa.
Biography
From an early age Shaun had a keen interest for choreography, winning prizes during his schooling at the Dance School of Scotland and English National Ballet School. While at School he toured and performed with English National Ballet in a number of productions, including Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet and Derek Deane’s Swan Lake at the London Coliseum.
On graduating in 2011, Shaun took up a contract with the Tivoli Ballet Theatre in Copenhagen, where he danced solo roles in Bournonville repertoire including Napoli, La Ventana, Flower Festival in Genzano and Le Conservatoire. He also took the title roles in Dinna Bjorn’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier and danced the Nutcracker Prince in Peter Bo Bendixen’s The Nutcracker.
In 2014 Shaun joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet and has danced many roles nationally and internationally. These Include the principal role of Frédéri in L’Arlesienne by Roland Petit, Mercutio in Francesco Ventriglia’s Romeo and Juliet, soloist in Johan Kobborg’s Les Lutins, Jiří Kylián’s Soldier’s Mass, Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze, Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and Puck in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shaun quickly looked for choreographic opportunities in New Zealand. He collaborated with Kiwi musician Martin Bryant and created the choreography for his music video, ‘Out of Sight Out of Mind’ from his album ‘The Heart of Katherine’ in 2014.
Shaun was the winner of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2016 Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award for his work ‘Blanć’ set to Vivaldi's beautiful ‘Four Seasons’, recomposed by Max Richter.
He was then asked to create his first work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet titled “Aura”, which premiered in Nelson and was performed throughout the country as part of the 2017 ‘Tutu’s on Tour’ season. Shaun has also created for the catwalk in New Zealand Fashion Week, collaborating with Kiwi designer Andrea Moore for her ‘AM FIT’ collection. Shaun created for the 2017 Harry Haythorne presentation, work titled ‘Dona Nobis Pacem | The Fallen’, with music composed by Max Richter.
In 2018, Shaun was given the prestigious title of ‘Choreographer in Residence’ by RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker.
Shaun’s exciting venture for 2018 was the adaptation of the famous children’s story Little Red Riding hood and was titled ‘Little Red’, reaching over 5,000 New Zealander’s through out the country. This work was commissioned through the RNZB and Te Papa as a free event for the New Zealand public. It has been further performed in Auckland’s Aotea Centre and Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna, as part of Auckland Live’s ‘Pic’n’Mix’.
2019 Shaun brought his work to the main stage as part of the RNZB’s Choreographic Series. His work The Ground Beneath Our Feet was reviewed as,
“The stand-out of the evening is The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Kelly. It is a well-crafted and playful work.” Lyne Pringle, Stuff
“But the long-awaited awe, classical majesty and exhilarating choreography…belongs to The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Shaun James Kelly. With vivid structure, exciting and unrelenting momentum…providing balletic exhilaration, technical intensity, and spell-binding brilliance. The audience receives Kelly’s work with riotous applause.” Greer Robertson, Theatrereview
With the challenges of 2020 Shaun took the opportunity to create a new work for the RNZB RAW studio performances. “The Things We Left Unsaid’ was born beginning with a pas de deux created via ‘Zoom’ during Covid-19 lockdown and was further developed into a 19 minute work. The duet was also performed as part of RAD 14+ Gala held at Te Whaea.
Shaun’s most recent project, in collaboration with the RNZB and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is Stravinsky’s well-loved pocket-sized theatre piece, The Soldier’s Tale, written “to be read, played and danced”. Shaun will create the choreography for this production working alongside Director Sara Brodie. As part of NZSO’s 2021 season ‘Setting Up Camp’, The Soldier’s Tale will be performed all over Aotearoa.
