Mikaela Kelly is an American-Estonian dancer, choreographer, designer, and interdisciplinary artist born in New York City. She began her training at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and later graduated from The Juilliard School in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. During her studies, she performed works by leading choreographers and received the Princess Grace Award in Dance (2017), recognizing her artistic excellence and potential.
Upon graduating, Kelly joined Nederlands Dans Theater 2, where she performed an extensive international repertoire by renowned choreographers including Jiří Kylián, Paul Lightfoot & Sol León, Crystal Pite, Alexander Ekman, and Sharon Eyal. Her work with NDT deepened her engagement with physically demanding and concept-driven contemporary dance practices.
She later joined Ballett Theater Basel in Switzerland, expanding her experience across both contemporary and classical-influenced productions, and subsequently became a member of Göteborgs Operans Danskompani in Sweden, one of Europe’s leading contemporary dance ensembles known for its strong focus on new creation.
Alongside her performing career, Mikaela Kelly has developed an independent artistic practice that spans choreography, costume design, and collaborative performance projects. Her work often explores identity, transformation, physical architecture, and the relationship between body, image, and space. She collaborates with choreographers, musicians, filmmakers, and visual artists across Europe and the United States.Today, Mikaela Kelly works internationally as a freelance artist, performing, teaching, and creating interdisciplinary projects that move fluidly between dance, theatre, and visual design.
