Kitty McNamee

Kitty McNamee is a highly regarded choreographer and director working across media. McNamee earned distinction from Dance Magazine as an artist with ?an outsize talent for that most elusive gift, originality.? Kitty began her career as the Artistic Director of Hysterica Dance Co., a consistently prolific and creative collective that redefined dance in Los Angeles. Kitty?s work has been enriched by collaborations with composers, filmmakers, directors, and writers on live performance, TV, and film projects. Recent work includes LA Opera?s La Traviata and Tales of Hoffman, Sense and Sensibility at South Coast Rep, LA Phil?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream, Target?s ?A New Kind of Strong? campaign, Secret Cinema?s groundbreaking live performances with Laura Marling in London and The Fantasticks at Pasadena Playhouse. She has also begun directing, as well as choreographing, short dance films. Her first film, The Yellow Room, screened at over 24 festivals world wide. Kitty loves working with actors and is known for her ability to draw out organically nuanced performances. She has created for Paz Vega, Julianne Hough, Margaret Cho, Vanessa Williams, Vittorio Grigolo, Lily Tomlin, Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, the boys of 90210 and the ladies of the L- Word. Kitty has loved getting down and dirty choreographing Beautiful and Twisted, Petals on the Wind and Lizzie Borden for Lifetime. She has created movement for music artists Laura Marling, Belly, Fono, Josh Kelley, Kait Weston, Kinky, Hecuba, Nicole Turley, Henry Wolfe and Ariana Delawari. Commissions include: The Farewell, a work inspired by Agnes de Mille commissioned by SDC?s Abbott Awards; and RIFT commissioned by Marin Alsop and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, which was recently performed at the Kennedy Center. She has also created the new ballets Traces and Transit for National Choreographer's Initiative and colony for LA Ballet. Kitty collaborated with music icon Easy Mike to create a new hip/hop ballet of On the Waterfront for Muse/ique. Opera credits include Tales of Hoffman, Lucia de Lammermoor, Don Carlo and La Rondine for LA Opera, La Traviata for LA Opera, San Francisco Opera and San Diego Opera, Romeo and Juliette for LA Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. She has a long and fruitful relationship with the LA Philharmonic, where she has choreographed, directed, and developed new productions including Esa-Pekka Salonen?s Wing on Wing. On the commercial front clients include Target, Mercedes, Adobe, FIDM, GreyAnt, Uniqlo, Proactiv, Wynn Hotels, Devlinhair/Novartis, Flash on the Beach, MADD, Hexbug and Magic Sofa.