OUR TEAM

Kay Kenney - Artistic Director

A graduate of The School of Dance’s Professional Contemporary Dance Program, Kay Kenney trained under a wide range of distinguished national and international artists, including the legendary Peter Boneham. Under his mentorship for three years, she also served as a demonstrator for his classes in Montreal. Now based in Kingston,ON, with her husband and two children, Kay continues to integrate Boneham’s techniques and philosophies into her own teaching practice.

Kay is a professional contemporary dance artist, choreographer, teacher, and certified Fletcher Pilates® provider, bringing a holistic approach to movement education and physical training. Her career has taken her across Ontario, Quebec, and Europe. She was a company dancer with Ottawa Dance Directive from 2013–2021, collaborating with artists such as Tedd Robinson, Chick Snipper, Andrew Turner, Mélanie Demers, Harold Rhéaume, Jocelyn Todd, Jesse Stewart, and artistic director Yvonne Coutts. For over a decade, she was also a core member of Social Growl Dance (Toronto), performing and serving as the company’s rehearsal director.

In 2016, Kay founded Movement Market Collective (MMC), a group of pre-professional and professional dance artists dedicated to fostering and celebrating contemporary dance in Kingston. Through MMC, she has choreographed and presented three full evenings of original dance works, produced numerous pop-up performances, and opened her own studio space in the city. She also founded the Ground UP Dance Festival, now in its fourth season, which has grown into an independent not-for-profit festival dedicated to professional contemporary dance. Kay continues to serve as its Co-Director.

In 2019, Kay was named a Youth Arts Ambassador for Ontario Culture Days, and in 2020, she received the Kingston Mayor’s Arts Award. She was also recognized internationally for the film a day not owned here, reversed, which she co-directed, choreographed, and performed in alongside Josh Lyon and Darren Shaen. The film was awarded Best Dance Film at the Shortwave Film Festival in Munich, Germany.

A committed collaborator within Kingston’s creative community, Kay has worked with numerous local festivals and organizations, including the Skeleton Park Arts Festival, ReelOut Queer Film Festival, The Juvenis Festival, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, The Kick & Push Festival, AnArch Theatre, The Cellar Door Project, Calliope Collective, and many independent artists.

A proud alumna of the Kingston School of Dance, Kay has served as its Artistic Director since 2021. She remains deeply invested in the city’s cultural growth and firmly believes that KSD stands at the heart of Kingston’s vibrant arts community—a fact recently celebrated with the school being named Kingston Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.