Kalen [Keɪ-Lɪn] was born and raised on the island of O'ahu, in Hawai'i. It was full of adventure, imagination, and a whole lot of aloha. The multicultural environment developed his respect for inclusion while encouraging curiosity.
His movement studies began silently around the age of 12 within volleyball. Playing on an 18-and-under boys' volleyball club team meant he had to play smarter. He wasn't tall, and his opponents were often about to go off to college. Kalen studied every position, learning the setter and blocking patterns of 5-1, 6-2, and 4-2. Which eventually led to acknowledging body patterns to predetermine where the ball would go. He continued to thrive as a volleyball player until the world of dance swept him up at 18.
After two years of dance education from the world-renown 24-VII Dancforce Studio in Kaneohe, Hawai'i, Kalen signed with Bobby Ball Agency. In 2004 he booked his first dance gig, and the rest was history. He was privileged to have an 11-year professional dance career in the commercial and theatrical industries, performing in national and international tours. He wasn't ready to end his dance career; however, his body had other plans after a 2016 dance audition injury. Kalen permanently fused his big toe bones and continues to test his new limitations every day.
Kalen received his BA in Performing Arts from Saint Mary’s College of California’s Liberal Educational for Arts Professionals (LEAP) program and was recently accepted into Columbia University in the City of New York’s MFA in Theatre Management & Producing concentration within the School of the Arts. He envisions a creative producing and management career, specializing in movement. Although he can choreograph, he is more interested in editing and supporting physical movement throughout a production’s lifecycle.
