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 efforts that prioritize justice for Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities. While advocating for social and environmental justice is a key subject area for artwork created by kloetzel&co., this is not enough. Since 2019, kloetzel&co. has been actively taking steps to support and align its hiring practices with the 35//50 initiative, which seeks to develop a more diverse and equitable artistic ecology. 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.
Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy (Just Breathe, Mother Earth), a collaborative project led by Cree artist Sandra Lamouche and settler artist Melanie Kloetzel, offers intimate groups of 25-30 individuals an immersive journey into and out of climate anxiety. Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy provides audience-participants with the opportunity to engage with the climate crisis as a nexus where economics, ecology, health and Indigenous knowledge meet.
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.