We're BIG into putting on shows and Events!
Each year our studio dancers have the opportunity to participate in our annual sold out performances at the Camden Opera House, as well as other events produced by the KEA Dance Center. Below is a glimpse at our past sold out shows, as well as upcoming performances in 2026!
KEA Dance center events
GET TICKETS HERE
Doors open half hour before curtains for seating.
Tickets: $23.00 sold at Camden Opera House (+$2.00 online fee)
“Only love can be greater than hate. Only light can overcome the dark.”
In a world that feels heavier than ever, one stage becomes a beacon.
Returning for its 16th Annual Production AND SERVING THE midcoast community with uplifting dance performances, we bring to you a moving evening of inspiration, strength, resilience, confidence and love.
OUR PERFORMANCES ARE AN EXPERIENCE - invitING YOU INTO A MOVEMENT where emotion becomes motion, where struggle transforms into beauty, and where a community gathers to rise together. (MORE INFO BELOW)
Grit & Grace VIIII:
THE LOVE MOVEMENT
Upcoming Show: May 22nd, 23rd, 24th
Each year, Grit & Grace honors the resilience we carry and the grace we discover along the way. This season, that message feels deeper, more urgent. Through moments of joy, vulnerability, and raw power, over 70 dancers of all ages take the stage—channeling the weight of the world into something luminous. What emerges is not just dance, but a collective release, a shared healing, and a celebration of hope.
From contemporary to hip-hop, jazz to modern, every piece is crafted to stir something within you and to convey a message of depth and weight. The music pulses, the movement speaks, and before you know it—you’re not just watching, you’re feeling – you’re a part of the movement.
This year’s production is already being called the most uplifting and electrifying yet. A true lighthouse of the Midcoast, KEA Dance Center champions mental health awareness while nurturing a supportive, inclusive dance community. Because this is not a recital. This is a community experience. A force of unity. A celebration of love in action.
Created by Camden’s own visionary choreographer, director, and producer Kea Tesseyman, the mission is simple yet profound: “movement that moves you.” As Kea shares, “Dance can communicate what words cannot articulate. My hope is that every person leaves feeling more connected—to themselves, to each other, and to the power of love.”
GRIT & GRACE IX:
THE LOVE MOVEMENT
MAY 22ND - 24TH
CAMDEN OPERA HOUSE
DATE + TIME: Fri May 22nd, 7pm | Sat May 23rd, 7pm Sun May 24th, 2pm, 2025 (MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND)
TICKETS: $23.00 in advance and $30.00 at the door.
All tickets will be sold online (LINK BELOW) or at Camden Opera House in person to avoid online $2.00 fee.
Doors open at 6:30pm (Fri/Sat) and 1:30pm (Sun) for seating
LOCATION: Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St, Camden Maine, 04843
Running time of show aprox 2 hours and 10 min with a 15 min intermission.
Get tickets here!
MORE INFO FOR OUR UPCOMING EVENT:
Past Dance Performances
HAPPENING THIS SPRING...
May 2025: Dancers seamlessly weave choreography throughout the show to tell a story of various perspectives during challenging times, and also uplifting moments of life. Informed by the experiences of students, young dancers celebrate the joy they feel when moving to the music and learning new ways to express themselves, while teens find their voices to share their thoughts and feelings.
Join us for the VERY FIRST EVER Grit & Grace Repertoire Show! Experience an amazing selection of studio favorites, spanning two decades of Kea Tesseyman’s choreography and Grit & Grace Shows! Watch the most moving and impactful pieces come together to make a show like you've never seen before!
May 2024: We must meet calamity with serenity, and meet hate with love. We must look at how we show up NOW in our daily lives, with one another, and realize the wellbeing of our planet starts within each of us - right now. We must find our way back home to who we truly are, and overcome conflict by finding guidance in spirit and love.
2023: Dancers engage in discussions about what it means to be of service for others, and what it means to create and share a message of strength and hope. They deepen their understanding of this healthy mindset by putting a message into movement, and learning to lift themselves, and through that action, are able to lift others.
2022: Dancers come back strong after dark theaters and studio closures to connect and share in the one thing that truly matters - love. Powerful pieces, both emotional and inspiring, take you out of the darkness and into the light. Dancers find power within and connect their mind and heart in love, triumph over loss, and a bright fire for the future!
2019: Within each dancer lives a super hero. The one that has the power to overcome adversity, challenge and obstacle. Each student finds the power inside them selves to believe in who they are and accept their uniqueness and value, no matter how different they each are. Together, a generation of superheroes walks among us. Come see their stories!
2018: Dancers talk about the biggest threat our world faces - us. They unite in the focus that our world needs our attention, we are all united in this one mission - to save our planet. Not just environment our society too. These movement messages share in how the next generation feels about the climate, both within our communities and the greater world.
2017: We take you on a journey of the untold story of two brothers and their childhood preceding the classic tale of the Lion King. Who was Scar before he WAS scarred. How did it happen? What turned him into the monster we all know? We believe no on is born evil, and we tell the story of how both Scar and Mufassa turned into the lions we know today.
2017: Celebrating the Evolution of our dancers, our studio and the magical power of dance, we share stories of transformation and revelation. Dance has the ability to help someone become the confident and beautiful person they truly are within, and bring their spirit, and unique self, into the light. This is the journey of their evolution.
2021: "The Discussion, Chapter 1": During the dark theaters and global shutdown due to the pandemic, Choreographer Kea Tesseyman wrote her second original script to be narrated and mixed with a haunting soundtrack, taking the audience on an exquisite journey of self realization, facing fears and healing. The story follows dancers as they work to battle the gripping power stress from trauma and addiction can have on your brain, body and life, and how one "subject" chose to face it.
Performed by 6 dancers who had "podded" during the fall of 2020 into the winter of 2021 to train together safely, then performed on a live stream created by the resilient Camden Opera House March of 2021 where online audience members could watch from home.
2016: Our first Grit & Grace show brings you to the center of our studio mission: Helping dancers to express their true selves through dance. Dance is an accessible art form that helps students to build confidence and self esteem while embracing camaraderie, community acceptance, all in a judgement and competition free space. Just Be You!
KEA DANCE CENTER was founded in 2010 as Kinetic Energy Alive Dance Productions. Beginning with co hosting shows with Swing & Sway Studio 2010 - 2011, they then moved to their first studio location in Camden and produced "Power Performance: Dance & Short Film Events" at the Strom Auditorium 2012 - 2015.
