Kendra Key

Kendra Key, originally from St. Louis, is an MFA candidate in the Department of Dance. She received her BS in dance from Missouri State University in 2019, as well as a minor in Diversity Studies. Kendra has used her journey in movement education to explore the need and accessibility of arts programs in disadvantaged communities. This process led her to develop creative movement curricula for children grades K–12. These teachings are now used throughout the Springfield community in spaces like the Boys and Girls Club and Springfield Public Schools. Kendra used both her programs (Dance and Diversity) to research how they can be used to apply an intersectional perspective to art making—using dance as a vehicle for social change. She has gleaned several nationally recognized accolades for her versatile work in choreography and movement film making. Kendra hopes to continue to meld together different dance aesthetics to create work that is both meaningful and innovative.