MSP 200: Connecting with the World Through Dance with Kitty McNamee

So much of what validates the human experience is the ability to collaborate and connect with other people in the world, and today’s guest has managed to do that through dance! Kitty McNamee joins us today to talk about her impressive career and how she found success despite limitations. Kitty was first drawn to the escapism element of musical movies and the wordless expression of dance, and although she started dancing late, she was accepted to Houston’s performing arts high school. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about how starting dance at the age of 16 made her even more passionate because she really had to fight for success. Kitty goes on to talk about how she started choreographing and touches on her choreographic voice and style before sharing the importance of community and relationships in this industry. Kitty even tells us about the projects she is most proud of and teases what we can look forward to seeing from her in the future. From dance films to documentaries to pop-up performances by LA artists, music videos with Laura Marling, and operas, Kitty’s career is truly an amalgamation of different art forms and a testimony to the power of collaboration with other artists. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief introduction to today’s guest, Kitty McNamee. 

• Where she’s from and how she became interested in dance. 

• Kitty’s experience at Houston’s performing arts high school. 

• Her physical limitations and why she thought she should be an actress.  

• Choreographing for Open Fist and starting her own dance company. 

• Kitty describes her choreographic voice, movement themes, and influences. 

• How her career progressed and how community and relationships kept her going. 

• Her transition into working in dance films and how she got into that. 

• Kitty tells us about her latest documentary project, Citizen, and her involvement. 

• What LA POPS UP is and what inspired Kitty to create it. 

• Her work with Laura Marling and what it’s been like to work in different kinds of spaces. 

• Kitty shares her favorite dance projects and what she is most proud of. 

• What we can look forward to from Kitty’s career in the future. 

For more on this episode: The Moving Architects

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For in-person and virtual film screening tickets to The Moving Architects' Where She Once Stood: The Women of the Crane House & Historic YWCA Alive Through Dance