Overview
Regina Klenjoski is a creator, performer, educator and advocate of contemporary dance. Passionate about the moving body with a thirst for communication through dance, the Macedonian-born choreographer creates deeply personal works that examine our search for intimacy and connection in contemporary society, often through the lens of her Macedonian heritage. She tells stories with character-driven, socially relevant dances that expose our authentic nature and search for truth through seemingly small flashes of humanity.
Recognized by the Los Angeles Times as 鈥渙ne of the most active and ambitious dance makers leading Southland contemporary companies,鈥� she has created 48 works as resident choreographer for Regina Klenjoski Dance Company; the majority of which feature commissioned scores from award-winning Los Angeles composers. Her work is often cited for its innovative partnering, technical athleticism and dynamic energy and has received numerous awards including four Choreography awards from the prestigious Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival and 26 Lester Horton Dance Award nominations with four awards for achievement in choreography, costume, music and lighting design. She was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, Ohio University, and was the recipient of a Long Beach Public Corporation for the Arts Fellowship and an Excellence in Arts Award from the City of Torrance for her contributions to the community through her 鈥淒ancing with RKDC鈥� residency program. RKDC has been awarded numerous grants through their 20 year history. Most notable include a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts grant to tour their work 鈥淔ar From Home;鈥� a California Community Foundation Grant for strategic planning in 2015 and multiple grants from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Wichita Arts Council and the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission. Additionally, the company has been awarded Echo Grants from Time Warner, Inc. and grants from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Torrance Cultural Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Long Beach, Durfee Foundation, Center for Cultural Innovation, Bill Graham Foundation, and the Arts Council of Torrance. In 2014, the company received a $15,000 grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, being one of only 2 dance companies in the six-state MAAA region to receive the award.
In addition to performing at the Avignon Festival Off in France, Florida State University, New York City Center and various locations in Ohio and Illinois, her work has been presented throughout venues in Southern California including the Martha B Knoebel Theater at CSULB, Museum of Latin American Art, Glendale鈥檚 Alex Theater, McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood, Long Beach Museum of Art, Torrance Art Museum, UCLA鈥檚 WAC Performance Series, Arts Open House at Cal State Northridge, the Fountain Theater, Carnival: The Choreographer鈥檚 Ball at the Key Club, Scripps Collage, Sushi Performance Space in San Diego, the Spectrum Dance Series, Loyola Marymount University, The Brand Library Dance Series, The Palm Desert Amphitheatre, Highways Performance Space, Dance Kaleidoscope Festival, The Invitational Concert at Goldenwest College and yearly at their home base, The James Armstrong Theatre. Her work has been commissioned and performed by professional, commercial and educational institutions including Malashock Dance, Wichita State University, University of Kansas, Irvine Valley College, Chicago鈥檚 Next Dance Festival, California State University-Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University, Tennessee Children鈥檚 Dance Ensemble, Renaissance High School for the Arts, Palos Verdes High School Dance, Bob Barrett Productions, Zephyr Dance, Colombia College Summer Dance, American Video Artists, Torrance Unified School District, and DePaul University.
Klenjoski鈥檚 uncompromising dedication to arts education has led her to create numerous programs for public and private institutions. Most notable is the ongoing residency program she began with the Torrance Cultural Services Division that has seen over 23,000 participants since 1999. The city now models their artist partnerships after her successful program. Ms. Klenjoski is a sought-after choreographer and teacher and has been guest faculty and choreographer at 小9直播, Newman University, The University of Kansas, California State University-Long Beach and Loyola Marymount University among others and was the Director of the Dance program at North High School in Torrance. Committed to building community and opportunity among local professional dance artists she created and produced the highly regarded SOLA Contemporary Dance Festival from 2001-2008. The festival received critical acclaim and was nominated by the Lester Horton Award committee for Outstanding Festival six times. Currently, RKDC is in partnership with Senseney Music to offer dance arts education experiences for youth. Dancing with RKDC-Wichita is a non-competitive dance education program that focuses on teaching strong technique, self-expression and concert performing skills in a nurturing environment. Finally, the company is developing two separate arts education programs for K-12 students. In Wichita, the company will present 鈥淒ancing through the Ages鈥� assemblies in partnership with Arts Partners that takes young audiences on a journey through the music, visual art, dance and social politics of 5 eras from the 1800鈥檚 to today. In Torrance, CA the company is developing an in-school creative movement residency for 3rd and 4h graders.