Kelley Abbey
Encyclopedia
Kelley Abbey is an Australian actress, choreographer, singer and dancer. She has been a leading performer and choreographer in TV, film and musical theatre for more than 20 years.
Abbey won the Green Room Award, Mo Award and Variety Heart awards for her performance as the lead in Sweet Charity
. She also won a Mo Award for playing the lead in Fame the Musical which she also choreographed. She won the Green Room Award for her choreography in Fame and later restaged this show in Asia and South Africa.
Abbey played Sheila in the 2003 Australian cast of Hair
and Rizzo in an arena production of Grease
, and later choreographed an arena stadium tour of Grease – the Arena Spectacular. Other musicals Abbey has choreographed include Follies
at the Sydney Opera House
, Footloose
and most recently Hugh Jackman
’s The Boy from Oz
in the Arena for which she won a Helpmann Award
along with Kenny Ortega
.
Abbey was honoured at the Choreography Media Honours in Los Angeles for her choreography in the Oscar-winning feature Happy Feet
. She was also head motion capture
consultant on the film, ran "penguin school" and was the principal motion capture performer.
Abbey has also choreographed many music videos, pop concert tours, television commercials and awards specials. She appeared in the film In Her Skin starring Guy Pearce
and Sam Neil which she choreographed and also plays a small role.
Abbey appears as a special guest judge and choreographer on the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance
and choreographs for the So You Think You Can Dance franchise internationally. She also was chosen to represent Australia on the reality television show Superstars of Dance
on the NBC Network.
Abbey is the Patron of the Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge.
Abbey won the Green Room Award, Mo Award and Variety Heart awards for her performance as the lead in Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
. She also won a Mo Award for playing the lead in Fame the Musical which she also choreographed. She won the Green Room Award for her choreography in Fame and later restaged this show in Asia and South Africa.
Abbey played Sheila in the 2003 Australian cast of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
and Rizzo in an arena production of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, and later choreographed an arena stadium tour of Grease – the Arena Spectacular. Other musicals Abbey has choreographed include Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, Footloose
Footloose (musical)
Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
and most recently Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
’s The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz is a jukebox musical based on the life of singer/songwriter Peter Allen and featuring songs written by him. The book is by Nick Enright. The production had its world premiere, directed by Gale Edwards, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on 5 March 1998 and toured Brisbane,...
in the Arena for which she won a Helpmann Award
Helpmann Award
The Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
along with Kenny Ortega
Kenny Ortega
Kenneth John "Kenny" Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is known for directing the High School Musical trilogy and Michael Jackson's This Is It concert tour.-Life and career:...
.
Abbey was honoured at the Choreography Media Honours in Los Angeles for her choreography in the Oscar-winning feature Happy Feet
Happy Feet
Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
. She was also head motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
consultant on the film, ran "penguin school" and was the principal motion capture performer.
Abbey has also choreographed many music videos, pop concert tours, television commercials and awards specials. She appeared in the film In Her Skin starring Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
and Sam Neil which she choreographed and also plays a small role.
Abbey appears as a special guest judge and choreographer on the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
and choreographs for the So You Think You Can Dance franchise internationally. She also was chosen to represent Australia on the reality television show Superstars of Dance
Superstars of Dance
Superstars of Dance was an American reality television show that debuted on January 4, 2009 on NBC. The show featured dance routines from eight different countries from six continents. It was hosted by Michael Flatley, co-creator of Riverdance and creator of Lord of the Dance, and was co-hosted...
on the NBC Network.
Abbey is the Patron of the Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge.