Keilani Elizabeth Rose
Keilani Elizabeth Rose is a Canadian actress, filmmaker, dancer, and DJ. She is best known for her role as Miigwan in the hockey comedy series Shoresy. Rose made her film and choreography debut in Within the Silence, for which she received an award for Best Choreography at the World Film Festival in Cannes.
Early life
Rose was born and raised in Lheidli, the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, Prince George, British Columbia. Through her matrilineal lineage, she belongs to the Lheidli T'enneh nation and has intersectional Indigenous heritage with the Kanaka Maoli diaspora. She also carries British, Chinese, and Black ancestry. Rose is a direct descendant of Granny Seymour, known as The Matriarch of the North, and the great-granddaughter of Captain Owen Forrester Browne. Her mother was a hula dancer, which inspired her to pursue dance as an initial career with training in both traditional cultural dances and classical dance. She received the Governor General's Award for academic excellence and attended the University of Northern British Columbia.Career
Rose began her career as a dancer, performing with Disney Cruise Line and appearing in productions for Disney and ABC. She later transitioned to acting, appearing in television series including Lucifer, Once Upon a Time, Six, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2020, Rose played Katie Hamilton in the thriller film The Sinners (Rose has portrayed Miigwan in the Crave/Hulu comedy series Shoresy, a spinoff of Letterkenny, since 2022. Her character serves as an assistant manager for the Sudbury Bulldogs hockey team. The show was noted for its contemporary representation of Indigenous characters. Rose worked with the production team to include Indigenous elements, including beadwork by Toronto artist Jori Brennon and displaying the Lheidli T'enneh nation's logo with permission from the band council. In Season 4, she choreographed a dance scene for the series.
Rose is also the founder and executive director of Two Rivers & a Rose Filmworks, a production company dedicated to amplifying messages of equity and diversity.