Stephen Petronio

Petronio, Stephen (b Newark, NJ, 20 Mar. 1956). US dancer, choreographer, and company director. He started studying dance while at college in Massachusetts. He trained with Steve Paxton in Contact Improvisation and danced with Trisha Brown (1979-86), the first male dancer in her company. He founded his own company in 1984. From 1990 to 1992 he collaborated with the British choreographer Michael Clark; in 1991 they co-choreographed Stravinsky's Rite of Spring as Wrong Wrong. His own choreography is marked by its speed and energy, use of aggressive tension, homoerotic sensibility, and often provocative costuming. A list of his works includes No. 3 (1985), Walk-In (1986), Simulacrum Reels (1987), Simulacrum Court (Frankfurt Ballet, 1987/8), AnAmnesia (1988), MiddleSex Gorge (mus. Wire, 1990), Full Half Wrong (1992), Lareigne (1995), Drawn That Way (1996), ReBourne (1997), Not Garden (1997), and Strange Attractions (mus. Nyman, 1999).