1953 — 2025
Anet Margot
Ris-Kelman
Dancer. Performance Artist. Somatic Teacher.
Founder of The Tiny Theater PDX.
“Spirituality and art are not separate pursuits, but rather expressions of the same fundamental search for meaning and authentic presence.”
The Art of
Radical Presence
Anet Margot Ris-Kelman was a dancer, actress, performance artist, educator, musician, and visual artist who spent three decades weaving her artistry into Portland’s creative fabric.
Born in the Midwest, she earned her BFA at NYU and MFA from the University of Wisconsin. Her journey through New York and Los Angeles ultimately led her to Portland, where she became a beloved figure in the arts community.
Known for creating deeply expressive performances, Anet was a somatic teacher and artist who enriched lives through her creativity, curiosity, and dedication to the body as an instrument of story.
“Dazzling, colorful, daring, endlessly curious — she taught with humor and precision.”
My work is about delving into the many languages through which the body speaks: the somatic body, the bones, muscles, organs, meridians, the reflexology areas, the energy and nervous systems, the chakras, the mind, consciousness, and the voice — as pathways into presence and expression.
I also investigate the languages of improvisation, influenced by kelmanworks and Action Theater, and the languages of composition: spatial architecture, time, dynamics, archetypes, imagery, and storytelling. Through these interwoven practices, I seek to uncover how the body, imagination, and spirit shape meaning in performance.
Freedom Through Refined Discipline & Play.
”
Gallery
The Tiny Theater
PDX
"A home for people from diverse communities to share ideas and art that nurture human expansion and liberation."
As Directress of The Tiny Theater PDX (2017 – 2020), Anet made her home a haven for creative expression in Portland — a space for the curious and courageous to gather, create, and explore.
The theater hosted installation, performance, dance, music, and poetry events, along with workshops and labs on somatic and performative approaches to art-making.
The Tiny Theater PDX was the culmination of Anet’s dream to live above a Theater. The living room became the theater with blackout curtains, stage lighting and a video projection system. The adjoining former bedroom was the Green Room with an opening cut in the closet wall as the entrance to the stage.
The Tiny Theater PDX became a home for radical performance and arts community gatherings. She curated a number of “Iterations” with the themes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water with performers from the arts, science, poetry and theater communities. She also used it as a teaching space for her somatic movement and theater classes. Sadly, it never recovered from the Covid shut down.
