Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Robotham.
Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Kelly Robotham, Artistic Director of Armour Dance Theatre , born in Bronx, New York raised in Miami, Ms. Robotham is a 2006 alumni of New World School of the Arts. She went on to graduate with a BFA from The Juilliard School in 2010 where she was chosen to represent The Juilliard School in Costa Rica for a Cultural Teaching Exchange. While still a student at Juilliard she was invited to dance as an apprentice with two distinguished companies, Chicago’s River North Dance and with New York City’s Ballet Hispanico. Immediately upon graduating Juilliard, she was invited to dance and tour with Ailey II for one year. In 2011 she joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where she danced from 2011-2014 touring and performing internationally. Ms. Robotham also participated in special events, including a performance at the White House for President and Ms. Obama in 2013 as well as on numerous television broadcasts, including Live with Kelly and Michael in 2011. After a distinguished performance career, she returned to Miami in 2014 and worked briefly at Miami City Ballet as the Executive Assistant and Development Coordinator. In 2016, she was appointed as the dance director at Miami Arts Charter Middle and High School (Homestead) from 2016-2018. Ms. Robotham joined the ADT faculty in 2015 and is currently the third Artistic Director.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a woman of color, there have been obstacles along the way in my dance career but it only gave me motivation to keep pushing the boundaries and to continue thriving to make dance accessible to all!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As the Artistic Director, I oversee many of the commissioned dance pieces from world-renowned repetiteurs and choreographers. I oversee all performances and productions for the organization from our annual Spring Concert, Nutcracker, Universal Ballet Competitions to performances at The Adrienne Arsht and Dennis C. Moss Center.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family has been my biggest supporters. Thomas Armour and Ruth Wiesen has been amazing mentors that had this artistic role prior to me. They truly built the legacy that I am so honored to carry forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://armourdance.org/
- Instagram: @armourdancetheatre
- Facebook: Armour Dance Theatre
- LinkedIn: Armour Dance Theatre
- Twitter: @ArmourDance
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArmourDanceTheatre
Image Credits
Credit: Stephanie Fuentes, Daniella Martinez, & Armour Dance Theatre
