Karley Wasaff, 2023 Virtual

Karley Wasaff is a non-binary and pansexual movement artist based in NYC. Karley’s current choreography incorporates compositional improvisation scores to evoke the spontaneity of genuine un-adulterated human interaction. Karley views this process as a way to bring radical awareness to Karley’s identity: gender binary and choreography is to structure/composition as gender-non-conforming and chance is to deviation/improvisation. 

Karley was the 2022 recipient of the field.org’s Fiscal Sponsorship for Social Justice Arts and Practitioners Fellowship. Karley became the first performing art soloist to perform at Christie’s New York, premiering ‘XwhY’ in 2020. Since, the piece has toured at Love Moves Showcase NYC, Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance NYC, SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City, and Kun-Yang Lin Performance Series in Philadelphia. ‘XwhY’ has since been commissioned by and premiered at RAD Fest as a dance for film, and has screened in Los Angeles & Jersey City. Their most recent movement research, ‘Glitch’, was in residency with The Floor in Brooklyn, NY, and has begun a new rendition to be performed at the GreenSpace in Queens, NY. Karley had the privilege to earn a BFA in Performance and Choreography from USM, and a MFA in Dance from Hollins University. Karley’s independent choreographic endeavors utilizes their privilege, as it gave them the knowledge and articulation needed to have a voice to stand up and shape change through movement.