Photo: Jeff Brown
“Annie-B Parson — the choreographer who democratised dance.”
“I could watch anything by Annie-B Parson...”
“Ms. Parson creates movement whose intelligence is itself meaning enough.”
Annie-B Parson is a choreographer and the artistic director of the OBIE and Bessie award winning Big Dance Theater. She co-founded Big Dance in 1991, and with her company has created over 20 large scale works for such venues as BAM, The Old Vic/London, Sadlers Wells/London, The Walker Art Center, The National Theater in Paris, City Center/Fall for Dance, and The Kitchen, among others.
Parson has also made choreography for rock shows, marching bands, movies, museums, objects, television, augmented reality, opera, ballet, theater, symphony orchestras, string quartets, and a chorus of 1,000 amateur singers.
Artists she has made dance for include David Byrne, David Bowie, St. Vincent, Lorde, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Esperanza Spalding, Suzan Lori Parks, Jonsi, Wendy Whelan, Anne Carson, Laurie Anderson, David Lang, Nico Muhly, Salt ‘n Pepa, and Jonathan Demme. Parson has two large scale works in the repertory of the Martha Graham Dance Co.
Most recently, Parson choreographed Candide at the Lyon Opera, The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera, and Lorde’s Solar Power world tour.
Parson’s work with David Byrne has spanned 15 years and includes dance-making for his tours with Brian Eno, St. Vincent, his musical Here Lies Love, as well as many TV appearances. Their most recent work, Tony Award winning American Utopia, toured the world and ran on Broadway. Parson also worked with Spike Lee on the documentary movie American Utopia. In 2014, Parson choreographed Byrne’s musical Here Lies Love for the Public Theater and The National Theater in London, and on Broadway.
Parson has published articles and drawings in The Atlantic and The Paris Review, as well as other publications. Her newest book: The Choreography of Everyday Life (Verso Press) was published in 2022. She is also co-editing a book with Thomas de Frantz on a rethinking of the history of dance with 13 choreographers, to be published in 2023. She teaches and lectures on the body in space, dance- making, and the virtuosity of structures in art making.
Parson received a Guggenheim Fellowship, three Bessie Awards, The Jacobs Pillow Dance Award, a USA Artist Award, The Doris Duke Award, three Lucille Lortel nominations, and an Olivier nomination. She was honored with a Chita Rivera Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022, as well as honors from PS122, and Danspace.
Curriculum Vitae
FREELANCE CHOREOGRAPHY:
2023
Here Lies Love, Broadway, David Byrne musical
2022
The Hours, opera, The Metropolitan Opera
Candide, opera, The Lyon Opera, France
Lorde, world tour of Solar Power
2018-2022
Choreography for David Byrne’s AMERICAN UTOPIA world tour/ Broadway run, the film by Spike Lee, and choreography for Byrne’s Steven Colbert appearance, SNL and other TV appearances.
2019
Mostly Mozart Festival, David Lang composer, 1,000 amateur singers/dancers, Lincoln Ctr.
2017
The Road Awaits Us, large-scale work for Sadlers Wells, London, Company of Elders
Staging for St. Vincent’s MASSEDUCTION World tour
I used to love you, Large-scale work on the Martha Graham Dance Company
Duet for visual artist Mark Dion for Bard Curatorial Center
Esperanza Spalding at The Peace Ball
2016
David Bowie’s Lazarus under the direction of Ivo Van Hove
2015
Short Ride Out, Solo for Wendy Whelan commissioned by the Royal Ballet
The Snow Falls in the Winter, Large-scale work for Martha Graham Company
2014-15
St. Vincent’s 2014 world tour, as well as her show with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The David Lynch Festival, and on Jimmy Fallon TV
2013-14
David Byrne’s Here Lies Love at the Public Theater;The National Theater in London
2012
Love This Giant David Byrne’s 2012 world tour with St. Vincent and a marching band
2011
The film Ride, Roar, Rise about David Byrne
2008
Everything That Happens David Byrne's 2008 Brian Eno world tour
ETHEL, string quartet
Additionally: Parson has created choreography for marching bands, operas, pop stars, theater, ballet, docents, movies, advertising, objects, television, symphonies, and choruses. Her work for theater, MTV, opera and film includes work by Laurie Anderson, Salt n Pepa, Nico Muhly, and many others. She has made choreography for Off-Broadway plays including the work of Suzan Lori Parks, Lucas Hnath, Sarah Ruhl, Richard Maxwell and many others Her choreography for film includes: Rikki and The Flash, Philadelphia, The Truth About Charlie, dir. Jonathan Demme.
CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:
Big Dance Theater, 1991- present
Work with her company includes conceiving, choreographing and directing works that have been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Old Vic/London, The National Theater of Paris/Chaillot, The Japan Society, The Walker Art Center, Les Subsistance/Lyon and many others. Selected works include:
2020
BAM commission
2019
Skirball Center for the Arts: The Road Awaits Us
2017, 2018
17c (Tanz Im August, Berlin, Germany; the Old Vic Theatre /Dance Umbrella Festival, London, UK; Calperformances, Berkeley, CA) , BAM; Philly Live Arts; UNC; MassMOCA
2016
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK (The Menil Museum; MassMOCA)
2015
SHORT FORM (The Kitchen; Theater Festival in Austin Tx.)
2014
ALAN SMITHEE TRIPLE FEATURE (BAM; Tanz im August Berlin, Les Subsistance France, Jacobs Pillow)
2012
ICH, KURBISGEIST (The Chocolate Factory; NYLA)
2010
SUPERNATURAL WIFE (BAM; Paris National Theater Chaillot, Lyon; Brest, Mulhousse, Nantes, France)
2009
COMME TOUJOURS HERE I STAND (The Kitchen; NYLA; The Walker; MCA, tour of France)
2004
PLAN B (NYLA; The Walker)
2001
SHUNKIN ( The Kitchen)
2000
ANOTHER TELEPATHIC THING (DTW/Tour of Germany and Netherlands)
Additional shows from 1991- 2000 include: Antigone, The Gag, Sacrifice, Hula Girl, City of Brides (ADF), Simple Heart
AWARDS
2022
Chita Rivera Award for Lifetime Achievement
2015
Olivier Award nominee (London) for Best Theater Choreographer (Here Lies Love)
2014
Prelude Festival’s FRANKY Award: Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar
Doris Duke Performing Artist Award
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award
2013
New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship 2012 United States Artists Fellowship
2010
New York Dance and Performance BESSIE Award for Outstanding Production: Comme Toujours Here I Stand
2007
Guggenheim Fellowship
Big Dance Theater receives the first Jacobs Pillow Dance Award
2006 and 2000
New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship
2002
Co-Directors Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson were honored with a BESSIE for their "boldly arranged marriage of dance and theater"
2000
Big Dance Theater awarded an OBIE for its "passionate practice of the most implausible choreographic and literary concoctions"