KEELY GARFIELD DANCE (formerly Keely Garfield Sinister Slapstick), was founded in 1989, and has been presented at theaters including Performance Space122, The Joyce SoHo, The Joyce Theater, Danspace Project, Movement Research at Judson Church, Arts at University Settlement, Dixon Place, The Knitting Factory, Joes Pub, Symphony Space, and The 92nd Street Y at Playhouse 91 and The Duke on 42nd Street. The company has been the recipient of several Bessie Schönberg/First Light commissions from Dance Theater Workshop and has performed at DTW numerous times including three sold-out seasons. They have also performed at the Tweed New Works Festival, the Dancenow/NYC/Festival, Dance Blitz, Free Range Arts’ Humor Unplucked series, New Dance Alliance, the Salon Project, Martha@Mother, the Spring Loaded Festival (London), Danse Vernissage (Montreal), Tanzmesse (Dusseldorf), Howard Community College (Maryland), The Pittsburgh Playhouse (Pittsburgh).

Twice featured on PBS’ City Arts show, the company has received consistent audience and critical praise for their work. In 1993 Garfield’s Come Hell And High Water was selected as a “Highlight of the Year” in The New York Times, and her show My Mother Was A Four-Alarm Fire and Other Mostly True Stories was named a “Top Ten Pick” of 1998 by Time Out NY. More recently, Garfield’s “Crazy-smart” Free Drinks For Ladies With Nuts was selected by Time Out NY on its “Best of 2002” list along with Garfield’s co-hosting (with Lawrence Goldhuber) of the 2002 Bessies. Keely Garfield Dance has commissioned original music from composers Phillip Johnston, Anthony Coleman, Rachelle Garniez and Marc Ribot, costumes by Liz Prince, and lighting design by Susanne Poulin.

The company has garnered three New York Dance and Performance Awards for performance (Rachel Lynch-John), original score (Phillip Johnston) and lighting design (Roma Flowers). Garfield’s work has been supported with funds from the Jerome Foundation, Arts International (National Endowment for the Arts), the Harkness Foundation for Dance, The New York State Council on the Arts, Meet The Composer, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, The American Music Center, Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation, Dance Ink Foundation, Independent Artist Challenge Program (The Field), and a BUILD grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Garfield is also a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship recipient distinguished as a Harkness Foundation for Dance Fellow.

Recent highlights include the creation of Disturbing The Peace (Zenon Dance Company, Minneapolis 2003), Deep (The Joyce Theater/Altogether Different, 2003), and Scent Of Mental Love work-in-progress (Celebrate Brooklyn 2003). Scent of Mental Love will be presented by Zenon Dance Company this November in a world premiere and will receive it’s New York premiere at Dance Theater Workshop in January 2005. For the DTW performances, Garfield is creating another new work, Disturbulance featuring an original score by Marc Ribot. Also in 2005, Garfield will collaborate with German film-maker Marcus Behrens on a dance film of her work.