It’s always inspiring when a local artist leaves for the Big Apple and manages to carve out a successful career.
- Photo Credit: Lois Greenfield
- A photo from "Navigating the Hallway" with KDNY Dancers; from left, Carrie Malernee, Lauren Jaynes, Leslie Simpson, Theresa Duhon and Heather Kemp.
Welcome back professional dancer Heather Kemp, a Pasco gal and River Ridge/USF grad. The local dancer-made-good went on to achieve prestigious success, getting her master’s at California State and dancing with the visceral and athletically kinetic KDNY dance troupe. Kemp also serves as the company manager for KDNY and does freelance video and web design work. She has been a member of KDNY since 2003.
Kemp’s life in New York has included living in Astoria and commuting to a grueling job at the Olive Garden in Times Square while rehearsing and performing nonstop. Now, the admitted overachiever is living in the Upper West Side, hanging out in the West Village, working part-time at Apple and — dare we say — looking forward to settling down.
For the time being, Kemp is planning a momentous homecoming this weekend with her formidable female cohorts in KDNY, who will also perform with dancers from Moving Current Dance Collective at USF Theatre 1.
In the repertory performance Going, the companies join forces for a collaboration project called “Navigating the Hallway” (pictured above right). The show, overall, uses a variety of original music as a backdrop to an athletic style of dance that’s complemented by nuanced emotion, delicate costumes and quirky comedic tangents. Choreography and costumes are by KDNY artistic director Kathleen Dyer — the KD in KDNY.
CL had a chance to catch up with Kemp just before her rehearsal run in Tampa.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2011.