SHaun Keylock
 

Shaun Keylock is an award-winning choreographer, director, teacher and dancer based in Portland, Oregon. Driven by his long-standing interest in new movement research and cross-disciplinary collaboration, his work has led him into dialogue with an array of artistic forms, including dance, film, theater, and visual art. The result of these interactions have garnered the attention of leading festivals and institutions, ensuring Keylock’s position at the cutting edge of contemporary dance in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2018, Keylock founded Shaun Keylock Company to encompass his extensive work as an artist and director. The company is known for its distinctive visual style and unique approach to contemporary dance and performance. As principal choreographer for the company, Keylock creates compelling, original works with the dancers that are at once both technically sound and radically subversive. The company has been presented by On the Boards (Seattle); Dance Source (Houston); PUSHFest (San Francisco); Ten Tiny Dances and New Expressive Works (Portland). Most recently, Keylock was selected as choreographer for the U.S. debut of the chamber opera “When the Sun Comes Out,” presented by Portland Opera.

An advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Keylock's creative practice involves an exploration of the many facets of queer identity. He regularly collaborates with drag queens, fashion designers, musicians, filmmakers, artists, and activists to create a loud declaration of queerness both on stage and in performance. His work has been supported by grants from the Collins Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Community Foundation, and the Regional Arts and Culture Council. In 2019, he was awarded the White Bird Barney Creative Prize to support the creation of a new evening-length work with the company.

Keylock has taught workshops and master classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and Texas. He has served as a guest faculty member at universities and dance schools, including the University of Oregon, Texas A&M University, Columbia Dance, The Portland Ballet, NW Dance Project, BodyVox Dance, and Velocity Dance Center in Seattle. This spring, he will join the regional staff of “Stage The Change,” where he will work with students to employ the performing arts to find their social voice to become responsible global citizens and catalysts for change.

Presently, Keylock continues to create new works with his company of dancers in Portland, as well as teach both emerging and professional dance artists through his unique approach to choreography and dance making.