James Kidd Studio

Founded 2011 by Jmy James Kidd

Organized under the umbrella of James Kidd Studio, the activities of dancer, choreographer, and costume designer Jmy James Kidd are as varied as her pseudonyms. Kidd—née Jean-Marie Dauray Leary, aka JM Leary, Jmy Leary, Jmy, Jbird Leary, Jamm Leary, Jmlly Leary, Beatrice Wong, Penelope Margolis, Johnni Durango, and James Kidd—established James Kidd Studio in 2011, and it encompasses the artist’s individual practice, her company (the Sunland Dancers), and her Lincoln Heights dance space, Pieter. 

Since opening Pieter, Kidd has participated in, fostered, and collaborated with an expanding and cross-disciplinary community of artists. She has produced costumes for A. L. Steiner and Gerard & Kelly, also featured in Made in L.A. 2014, among others, and collaborated with Nick Duran (as NICK+JAMES) and Tara Jane O’Neil. A formally trained dancer, Kidd often merges conflicting styles of dance such as ballet and modern, incorporating movement, sound, and stage sets she builds herself. Kidd’s practice is dedicated to a rigorous and at times humorous investigation of the discipline of dance itself. If Kidd’s list of aliases suggests the refusal of a singular identity, this same logic is apparent in the multiplicity of practices and perspectives that she promotes.