Director,Choreographer, Performer, Teacher, ConTact C.A.R.E Practitioner
Kelly Nash graduated from Unitec in 1996 as part of the first wave of dance students to attend Unitec’s performing arts school. As the school developed its programme, she later returned to obtain a Bachelor of Screen and Performing arts in 1998.
Since then she has been a prolific dance artist, practitioner and choreographer throughout NZ and abroad. Her skills reflect her continual engagement and pursuit of excellence through the medium of dance and performance. She was a highly sort after dancer with experience in large professional productions and small community projects. In recent years she produced and directed her own shows to critical acclaim.
For the last 15 years Kelly has specialised in the martial arts based discipline of ConTact C.A.R.E, she works one on one with clients and is a registered foundation instructor.
“A deeply serious, intelligent performer with the power to hold an audience in rapt attention. Her gifts are rare” Douglas Wright
“Kelly Nash was particularly fine, giving an enigmatic performance of wonderful gravitas and stillness” NZ Business Review
“Nash demonstrates an awesome ease and simplicity with the job of performing dance. Her extreme use of speed and immediacy in movements in the air cut progressive arcs through another largely improvised work. Her performance history and mature artistry sets her as the finale star” Felicity Molloy
E d u c a t i o n
Senior Judge Artistic Gymnastics
Certificate in Remedial Massage
Martin Keog (USA) Teaching Training Contact Improvisation
Reiki Master 2001
Diploma of Performing Arts 1996
Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts Major Dance 1998
Certificate in Small Business Management 2015
Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori Level 2 2016
Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori Level 4 2017
Directors Lab Melbourne Festival 2016
Student ConTact C.A.R.E Practitioner 2006-2018
ConTact C.A.R.E Practitioner 2019
Contact C.A.R.E Foundation Instructor 2023
D a n c e
T e a c h I n g
New Zealand Dance Company
Atamira Dance Company
IndepenDance
Unitec Performing and Screen Arts Dance and Acting
Hawkes Bay Dance Academy
Douglas Wright Company
Good Company Arts
Orotokare
Northland Youth Theatre
Fabulous Dance Theatre USA
MEBA
Kahawi Dance Theatre, First Nations Canada
Teaching Influences
Contact Improvisation, Skinner Releasing, Yoga
Release Technique, Graham, Limon, Cunningham,
Hawkins, Feldenkrais, Thai Chi, Qi Gong, Kapa Haka,
Ballet, Acrobatics, Somatics, Contemporary Dance,
Alexander Technique, ConTact C.A.R.E
Residences
Banff Center Canada
First Nations Creation Lab
Melbourne Director’s Lab
Movement Art Practice
D a n c ing
With
World Of Wearable Art
Atamira Dance Company
Good Arts Company – Daniel Belton
Spinning Sun - Anne Dewey
Human Garden – Shona Mc Cullagh
Douglas Wright Dancers 1996 - 2013
Micheal Parmenter
Mike Mizarahi
Sean Curham
Louise Potiki Byrant
Carol Brown
Curve Dance Collective
Ahi Wai
Moss Patterson
Houston Grand Opera - Houston Texas
Micheal Keegan Dolan
Amber Stevens – Austria
Claire O’Neil – Brussels and NZ
Fern Winstor – Toronto, Canada
Pedro Llgenfritz – Commedia’larte
Malia Johnston
Fabulous Beast
Nancy Wijohn
Bianca Hyslop and Rowan Pearce
“centre-stage belongs to a stormy, translucent and … shimmering Kelly Nash”. Jack Gray
A w a r d s &
G r a n t s
Grant to travel to Canada to participate and perform in Toronto Dance Festival
Best Work – Tempo Dance Festival
Most Outstanding Dance – Metro Magazine
Best Set Design -Tempo Dance Festival
Runner- up Best Dancer -Tempo Dance Festival
Tup Lang Scholarship Award
Acceptance into Melbourne Directors Lab
Grant for Lick My Past and Ahua performing to Wellington ( Kia Mau) and Auckland (Tempo)
Covid 19 resilience grant for I(s)land Body and choreographic exchange between the islands of NZ and Finland.
Grant for Body Island - Development for Te Ha Te Ka - Live performance -Video - Photography
“Best First Time Director” - Japan International Film Festival, Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival, Munich New Wave short film festival and Seoul International Short Film Festival.
Winner of ‘Best Nature film” ‘Best Sound Design” at the LA Experimental Dance and Music Festival.
Te Ao Live
Experimental Dance Aotearoa NZ in the Early 21st Century.
MAP - Movement Art Practice
Paperboy Magazine
C h o r e o g r a p h y
Curve Dance Company
Passages – Wellington Fringe 1998
She said – Hope Town Alpha 1998
Five Girls Called Doris – Mercury Theatre 1999+2002
Here today gone Tomorrow – St Kevins Arcade 2001
Signed - 2003 – collaboration with Atamira Dance
Co-Director of Curve 2002 – 2004
I n d e p e n d e n t C h o r e o g r a p h y
Solo – Solecism, Mt Albert community hall 2002
Duet – with Malia Johnstone Piha community hall 2002
Duet – Hope Anderson, Depot Devonport
Souvenirs Of What I Once Described As Happiness – Tapac Theatre, Tempo dance Festival 2007
Meme Skin – Loft Q Theatre, B–Side Theatre, Tempo 2009
That Was In Tents – Samoan Fala University of Auckland 2010
Poaka Carrot Stone Cactus – Trifle, Tempo festival 2012
Ahua – collaboration Nancy wijohn, Racheal House, Loft Q theatre 2014
Lick My Past – Collaboration with Nancy Wijohn, Bats Theatre, Basement Theatre ( Kia Mau) 2017
I am too full - For the Gloaming curated by Tru Paraha 2019
Body I(S)land - Experimental Dance Week Aotearoa 2019
Te Ha Te Ka - Film series - Body Island 2022
“Nash's choreographic experimentations and design denote the emergence of a persuasive dramaturgical voice.” Tru Paraha
C o m m i s i o n e d
1st year Dance Graduation piece 2014 Unitec
Bird Girl – Sarah Houbolt, Tapac Theatre
Ambition - Estere music video
1st year and 2nd year Actor Graduation show 2015 – 2018 Unitec
3rd yr Graduation show Dance 2017 Unitec
Director of Choreography Northland Youth Theatre 2016
‘Almost stealing the show, is the exuberant Forever Never created on the twenty-two Year 1 students by Kelly Nash and set to joyous music by Eden Mulholland.’ Jenny Stevenson
C h o r e o g r a p h y with
A t a m i r a D a n c e
C o m p a n y
Indigenarchy 2014 – 2015 Toured NZ centres and USA
Associate director- Moko 2015 Sky City
Poipoia 2016
Mā – 2016 – 2017 Toured Wellington and Auckland
Atamira - 2017 Corban Estate
Tipu – 2018 Q Theatre Tempo
Co- Director and Solo Choreographer-Te Wheke - 2021 ASB Theatre Auckland, Whangarei, Poneke, Gisborne.
Te Wheke - USA Tour - Hawaii, San Diego, New York
Rehearsal Direction and Mentorship
Bianca Hyslop and Rowan Pearce - Pohutu - Arohanui Festival and He huia Kia Manawa - Auckland Arts Festival - Kia Mau Festival
Rituals of Similarity - Brittany and Natasha Kohler - Matchbox Q Theatre 2023
Sarah Houbolt - Bird Girl
Abbie Rogers -Tiaki Taonga
Sherrick Martain - Te Pou
Dan Moore-Mudgway - Whakapipi 33
“Conceptually Kelly Nash's Indigenarchy is the most intriguing and potentially rich for me” Tia Reihana
Check out Kelly’s ConTact C.A.R.E (Bone trauma release) Website below
Nancy+Kelly ConTact C.A.R.E
