Annie-B Parson

Annie-B Parson co-founded Obie and Bessie Award winning Big Dance Theater in 1991. Her work with Big Dance has been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sadler’s Wells/London, The Old Vic/London, The National Theater of Paris/Chaillot, the Kitchen, The Museum of Contemporary Art/Chicago, The Walker Art Museum, and many other theaters.

Parson has created choreography for opera, pop stars, television, movies, theater, ballet, symphonies, advertising, objects, museums, augmented reality, and 1,000 amateur singers. Parson staged and choreographed David Byrne’s Broadway show and world tour of American Utopia. Other work includes David Byrne’s musical Here Lies Love at the Public Theater and The National Theater in London; David Byrne’s 2012 world tour with St. Vincent and a marching band; and for Byrne’s and Brian Eno’s 2008 world tour, as well as for Byrne’s appearances on the Stephen Colbert show, Jimmy Fallon and SNL. She choreographed the world premiere of David Bowie/Ivo Van Hove’s Lazarus. Parson created the staging/choreography for St. Vincent’s 2017 and 2014 world tours, her collaboration with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Parson currently has 2 large-scale works in repertory in The Martha Graham Dance Company, and she created a solo for Wendy Whelan commissioned by the Royal Ballet. Parson choreographed one thousand singers for a work by David Lang at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. She has also made dances for Lorde, Salt n’ Pepa, Rodrigo and Gabriella, Jonsi, and Laurie Anderson, among many other music artists.

Her work for theater, opera and film includes plays by Lucas Hnath, Sarah Ruhl, Suzan-Lori Parks, Nico Muhly, Spike Lee and Jonathan Demme.

Her awards include the Chita Rivera Critic’s Choice Award (2022), Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2014), an Olivier Award nomination in choreography (2015), Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2014), USA Artists Award (2012), Guggenheim Fellowship in Choreography (2007), two BESSIE awards (2010, 2002), a Franky Award (2016) and has received three Lucille Lortel nominations (2014, 2012, 2011). Parson was honored by PS122 and Danspace in May 2021. She has published two books on choreography. The most recent, Drawing the Surface of Dance, is published by Wesleyan Press.

Photo by Shira Freedman.