KELSEY
AMANDA
MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMER & CHOREOGRAPHER
About Kelsey
Originally from the Chicagoland area, Kelsey grew up in a community which strongly supported the arts Surrounded by a family of musicians and performers, she began taking dance at the age of 3 and hasn’t stopped. Kelsey is a graduate of Ball State University, where she received a BFA in Musical Theatre. While there, she demonstrated her “do it all” personality, checking the following boxes: honors college, minor in Spanish, internship at the Cabaret in Indianapolis, teacher’s assistant for multiple classes each semester, study abroad, Alpha Chi Omega, an ICCA finalist a cappella group, and at least one job outside of school each semester. Kelsey has always been the type of person who does her best work when she is very busy, and college was no exception.
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In addition to performing, Kelsey discovered a love for choreography while at Ball State. She put her skills into action as the assistant choreographer and dance captain for American Idiot, A Little Night Music, and Crazy for You. Upon graduation, she was honored to be awarded the Musical Theatre Faculty Award, chosen unanimously by the faculty as the model student of her graduating class.
Kelsey developed a love for arranging while working with two-time Emmy award winner Michael Rafter (adjunct faculty). She spent her senior year arranging for cabarets and showcases, which led to the incredible opportunity of arranging a song for Sutton Foster with classmate Micheal Corey Hassel. The arrangement was so well received that Sutton asked Kelsey to rearrange it as a duet with Kelli O’Hara for a performance at the Lincoln Center.
After graduating in May of 2020, Kelsey put her plans to move to New York on hold in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, she took a teaching job at Cary-Grove Performing Arts Centre (her hometown studio) and has been teaching dance full time. She has found a love for video editing, and working with dancers to create virtual performances. She is so grateful to be able to find ways to stay active in the arts, even during these crazy times. When not onstage, you can find Kelsey watching The Office, playing with her cat, or spending time with her family, whom she loves more than anything.
