Artistic director, choreographer, and dancer Stephen Petronio identifies two very different men as catalysts in his decision to become as a dancer – Rudolf Nureyev and Steve Paxton. While at Hampshire College, Petronio began to dance improvisationally and to choreograph, and later became the first male in the Trisha Brown Dance Company, making his initial Pillow appearance with them in 1980. He first presented his work on the Pillow’s Inside/Out stage in 1985, before officially founding his own company the following year (when he created a solo entitled #3). The company has since appeared in the Ted Shawn Theatre on more than one occasion. His distinct movement style is a virtuosic flow interrupted by a quirky angularity, and his choreography demonstrates a fascination with form and structure. Petronio frequently collaborates with artists from other fields, such as musicians Yoko Ono, the Beastie Boys and Rufus Wainwright and visual artists Cindy Sherman, Charles Atlas, and the British sculptor Anish Kapoor.
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