Hello all, my name is Kelsie Steil. I am the choreographer, director, and creator of Split My Soul.  Thank you for considering contributing to this project. Please read the information below to learn more about what this donation campaign is supporting. 

About: This summer, I am pursuing training in Commedia dell'Arte under the tutelage of Antonio Fava to deepen my knowledge and training in physical theater and character work. This opportunity will offer the needed training to refine Split My Soul's seven distinct characters and their evocative storylines,  as I restage the work after its initial premiere in early 2025.  The refinement of the characters of Split My Soul is an important next step in enhancing the show's quality, legibility, and effect. My work as a choreographer centers on character creation and archetypes as a method to unpack mental health challenges and scenarios and generally features dramatized characters and storylines, much like the Canovacci (storylines) embedded in Commedia dell'Arte.  My creative practice is inspired by this physical theater art form developed in 16th century Italy, being that I guide the dancers in my work to execute specific gestures, expressions, forms and at times dialogue, subscribed to their character by intentional design. Much like the dance I create in modern day, Commedia dell’Arte and its storylines in old Europe were a commentary on social issues and gave voice to marginalized groups.  While my work is melancholic and intense, I intentionally use comedic relief as it is an essential element in the progression of the work.  I regularly use comedy in my dance work to offer a paradigm to process mental health challenges.  As a choreographer and teaching artist who produces work regularly, I do not often have the opportunity, time, and resources to receive training to enhance the art I present publicly and the training I provide to artists cast in my work.  This opportunity will give me rigorous training and the necessary insight to make me a more effective choreographer, teaching artist, and public art maker.

Testimonial and thoughts from a collaborator:
"My name is Jen, and I am a collaborator, supporter, and dear friend of Kelsie Steil. We fell into each other’s orbit in 2019, when I first saw her performing a dance piece at a local gallery. I remember being struck by the veracity and piercing emotional impact of her performance. 

As a multimedia artist, I struggle to bring my work to fruition, but Kelsie’s ability to be a producer, collaborator, and executor – and an incredibly ethical one, to boot – runs unparalleled. The intentionality, communication, drive, commitment, and care they put into her work and the whole crew’s well-being are what make her work stand apart. I say this because the care is felt by everyone involved, and this feeling of appreciation, mutuality, respect, and leadership fosters a collective belief in the work Kelsie makes by all participants. This collective belief in her work, in turn, is translated to the audience. This is evidenced by the reviews Split My Soul has garnered since its premiere at the City Theater at the beginning of 2025. This work needs to continue reaching more audiences, for reasons I will explain below:

People left that show feeling parts of themselves seen, many for the first time, even by the individuals themselves. It left people stirred, asking questions like: “Who am I, and who is driving the show? Is it the part of myself that lashes out when faced with uncertainty? Is it the part of myself that was conditioned to save everyone else except for myself? Is it the part that was told that being manly looks one way and one way only? What makes this the part that takes charge, and what might I do to become more aware of it when this happens?” 

Sometimes we are led by our fears. Often, we are led by the parts who refuse to let us disown them, and they make scenes in all sorts of ways until they have our attention. But too often we don’t hear the call, and we’d rather drink, or work, or hate, or blame, or self-sacrifice the pain away. 

We need to be asking these questions now more than ever because I’m afraid we’ve found humanity’s boat too far adrift at sea after too many different parts clamoring for control of the ship. But we don’t have the luxury of being unaware anymore, not with the climate changing, not with fascism taking hold. If you ask me, a soon-to-be licensed mental health clinician, we don’t have the option not to grieve the parts we have exiled and relegated to the shadows. These parts, left to their own devices, without acknowledgement, love, acceptance, and integration into the whole Self, will continue to knock on our proverbial doors until we finally embrace them. Until then, we will continue to run in circles. 

I want as many people as possible to experience Split My Soul (and all future works by Kelsie Steil), so that these critical questions can be brought to a greater audience, and help people awaken to their own Selves and their mutuality with others. Kelsie has made a lot with a little for a long time–too much time. Her attendance at the Commedia dell’Arte training would help take this work to the next level. Acceptance into this program is a pivotal opportunity – Kelsie has taken it this far, so let’s please invest in getting this work to a broader audience by helping Kelsie infuse her practice with centuries’ old theatrical wisdom."