kloetzel&co. is a dance theatre company committed to creating works that span stage, site, and screen. Under the direction of Melanie Kloetzel, kloetzel&co. has devised and presented interdisciplinary stage performances, dance films, and site-based installations across four continents. Come join the journey!
kloetzel&co. stands up unequivocally for the efforts being made via the Black Lives Matter movement and other movements that prioritize justice for indigenous and Black communities, and all people of color. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other Black Americans is a heinous crime and indicative of a system of racist oppression that has deep and abiding roots.
While advocating for social and environmental justice is a key subject area for artwork undertaken by kloetzel&co., this is not enough. kloetzel&co. is taking a serious look at its own complicity and privilege within a racist and oppressive system. Specifically, we are taking steps to not only support, but align our hiring practices with the 35//50 initiative, which seeks to develop a more diverse and equitable artistic ecology in Alberta.
kloetzel&co. calls upon leaders, artists, and the general public to acknowledge and address inequities based on race, gender, sexuality, class, and species and to promote systemic change that will ensure a just and fair future for the planet and all its inhabitants.
MEN in charge, a feature film directed by Melanie Kloetzel and Linnea Swan and produced by kloetzel&co., was released on January 20, 2021. The doc(mock)umentary follows the development of the satirical dance theatre work It began with watching, highlighting the possibilities and provocations that arise from the intersection of dance and politics. As ‘alternative facts’ and outlandish acts populate the political landscape, MEN in charge takes viewers on a brutally humorous jaunt through a sector enthralled with surveillance, concentrated wealth, and the workings of power. Recently screened at Toronto International Women Film Festival, Spring Grove International Film Festival and ARTS x SDGs Film Festival, among others.
kloetzel&co’s newest site work,The Coming Silence, premiered as a site-adaptive walking tour and performance installation in May 2021 on Prince’s Island Park in Calgary. Delving into the concept of extinction, whether by climatic, ecological or viral means, The Coming Silence was presented by ReLoCate and TRAction as part of ReLoCate’s The Experiment series.