Karley Wasaff | Kinetics with Karley, photo by John Christou
Karley Wasaff is a non-binary pansexual movement-artist creative director, and producer based in NYC. Wasaff began a nonprofit dance organization, Kinetics with Karley, to utilize their privilege to stand up and shape change through movement. They are the creative director and producer of @BoneDaddysDungeon, the original immersive theatre cabaret. Wasaff’s current choreography incorporates compositional-improvisation-scores to evoke the spontaneity of genuine unadulterated human interaction. They received the 2022 Social Justice Fellowship from TheField.org and named a Brooklyn Arts Exchange Emerge NYC 2023 Artist. Wasaff premiered XWHY at Christie’s New York, and coined their first performing art soloist. They have toured with Performance Mix #38, Queerness in 2024 Exhibition, RAD Fest, Love Moves, SMUSH Gallery, Kun-Yang Lin, ESTIA Creative Home, Greenspace, Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, Let’s Sing Taylor, Red Light Disco, and Secret City Cabaret. Wasaff has been in residency with the Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), University of Southern Mississippi, Alpha Omega Dance, and The Floor on Atlantic. They hold an MFA in dance from Hollins University. Wasaff is a proud queer small business owner of @boujiesaurusboutique and Master Fitness Professional with @grindhousebk.
XwhY XwhY is a compositional-improvisational score that explores the restrictions and tension that gender markers place on a person. This score utilizes memories and “X marks the spot” as movement scores to enunciate the hardships of nonbinary/female identities.
“My creative history with New Dance Alliance goes a way long. Since my friend, Chivas Sandage brought me to New Dance Alliance to rehearse in early 90’s, the place has become a part of my creative life. The long time existence of the studio and Performance Mix Festival are vital to the artists who seek and explore deep into their process. Whenever I step into the studio, it’s a new space with a lot of memories. I lie down on the floor, listen to my body, and I dance. It is valuable. The time in the space nurtures my practice and artistic vision. Karen’s vision of Lift-Off residency, feedback sessions, providing peer to peer connections are more significant than ever. It has been helping us to get through 2020 and we are going into 2021.”
– Nami Yamamoto
New Dance Alliance
182 Duane Street
New York, NY 10013
All venues are wheelchair accessible.
