Keith Hennessy is a dancer, writer, choreographer, activist, performer, and ritualist. Rooting in San Francisco since the mid-1980s, Hennessy’s work is interdisciplinary and experimental, motivated by anti-racist and decolonial practices. Prioritizing collaboration and improvisation the history of Keith’s work is a history of queer kinship: friends, partners, collectives, frictions, negotiations, and love. Since 2000, he has performed in 70+ cities and 24 countries producing over 19 full-length premieres and countless shorter works performing in spaces ranging from punk anarchist squats to fancy European theaters, from museums to streets and beaches. He has been published in academic journals, newspapers, books, and anarchist zines. Hennessy has been recognized with awards including: Guggenheim, Alpert/MacDowell, USArtist, NY Bessie, and multiple Isadora Duncan Dance awards. Hennessy was a member of Sara Shelton Mann’s legendary Contraband (85-94), as well as the collaborative performance companies CORE (95-98) and the French circus Cahin-caha (98-02). Hennessy is a co-founder of CounterPulse (formerly 848 Community Space), a thriving performance space in San Francisco. In 2000, Hennessy founded Circo Zero and continues to serve as the organization’s Artistic Director. He earned an MFA and PhD from University of California, Davis.
