STEPHEN PETRONIO (Artistic Director/Choreographer) was born in Newark, New Jersey, and received a B.A. from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, where he began dancing in 1974. Initially inspired by the dancing of Rudolf Nureyev and Steve Paxton, Petronio was the first male dancer of the Trisha Brown Company (1979 to 1986). He founded Stephen Petronio Company in 1984 and has created an expansive body of work marked by an unmistakable movement language and ground-breaking choreography in collaboration with contemporary innovators in the fields of music, visual arts and fashion.

Petronio has collaborated with composers Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Michael Nyman, James Lavelle, Wire, Diamanda Galás, Sheila Chandra, Lenny Pickett, and on numerous works with David Linton; visual artists Cindy Sherman, Anish Kapoor, Donald Baechler, Stephen Hannock, Justin Terzi, Charles Atlas, Tal Yarden and Trisha Fox; fashion designers Rachel Roy, Tara Subkoff/Imitation of Christ, Leigh Bowery, Manolo, Paul Compitus and Tanya Sarne/Ghost; and long time collaborator and Resident Lighting Designer Ken Tabachnick.

Stephen Petronio Company have been presented at some of the most prestigious venues on six continents over the past 24 years and Stephen has received numerous accolades, including a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, awards from the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, an American Choreographer Award, a New York Dance and Performance Award/Bessie and was recently inducted into the Nutley, N.J Hall of Fame. He has also been commissioned by some of the world’s premiere modern and ballet companies:  William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet (Simulacrum Court, 1987), Tulsa Opera (Le Trouvere, 1990), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Laytext, 1992), Lyon Opera Ballet (Extravenus, 1994), Maggio Danza Florence  (Mid-Summer’s Night Dream, 1996), Sydney Dance Company (Underland, 2003), Washington Ballet (De-Capulet, 2007) and The Scottish Ballet (Ride the Beast, 2007).  

Company Repertory has been re-staged on companies all over the world including: The Scottish Ballet, Ballet National de Marseille, Ballet Lorraine, London Contemporary Dance Theater, Chamber Dance Company in Seattle, Skolen for Moderne Dans in Denmark, Norrdans in Sweden, and X Factor Dance Company in Edinburgh, among others.

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