Born and raised in Southern New Hampshire, Kaleen McKeeman has created and performed original acrobatic works around the world since 2004. Initially intrigued by practices in visual arts, McKeeman studied painting and illustration in secondary school, after which she performed from 1999 to 2002 with the traveling acrobatic troupe, Circus Smirkus. In search of formal training in performance and acrobatics, McKeeman accepted an invitation for studies at the National Circus School of Montreal, Canada where she earned her diploma in 2006. Subsequently she was engaged in a nine-month creative research process for Cirque du Soleil. McKeeman premiered in the culminating production of ZAIA as the main character and Aerial Straps artist in Macao, SAR China where she continued to perform from 2008 to 2010. Through the development of her own performance pieces, McKeeman was then invited to perform original works in venues across Canada and the United States, as well as in Denmark, Austria and Germany. In 2011, McKeeman was invited by les 7 doigts de la main (Canada), to perform in a two-month collective performance research project which united musicians, acrobats and dancers in Copenhagen for a new edition of their Fibonacci Project. In the same year, McKeeman was awarded a special prize in WuQiao, China for her solo Aerial Straps performance. McKeeman works regularly as a guest teacher in acrobatics and performance at Berlin’s school for visual and performing arts, Die Etage, and performs a number of solo pieces for galas, variety shows, stage productions and open commissions. Among her many passions in the field of performance, McKeeman welcomes projects in acrobatic choreography and design, focussing on the creation of original structures for acrobatic use. McKeeman is currently a BA student at SUNY Empire State College (NYC) with a concentration in Performance Studies.