Annie-B Parson is a choreographer. 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, Sadler’s 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, Khruangbin, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Esperanza Spalding, Suzan Lori Parks, Jonsi, Wendy Whelan, Anne Carson, Laurie Anderson, David Lang, Kim Deal, Nico Muhly, Salt ‘n Pepa, Mark Dion, Arlene Shechet, Alex daCorte and Jonathan Demme. Parson has two large-scale works in the repertory of the Martha Graham Dance Co.
Parson choreographed Elektra at the Duke of York Theatre, London; Candide at the Lyon Opera; John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra at the Metropolitan Opera; The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera; and Lorde’s Solar Power world tour. Most recently, Parson choreographed Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Parson’s work with David Byrne has spanned 15 years and includes dance-making for his tours with Brian Eno, St. Vincent, as well as many TV appearances. She staged and choreographed the Tony Award-winning American Utopia, which toured the world and ran on Broadway in 2022/23. Parson also worked with Spike Lee on the documentary movie American Utopia. In 2014 and 2023, Parson choreographed Byrne’s musical Here Lies Love for the Public Theater, 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 book, The Choreography of Everyday Life (Verso Press) was published in 2022. She co-edited a book with Thomas F. de Frantz on a rethinking of the history of dance authored by 13 choreographers, published in 2024. She teaches and lectures on the body in space, dance-making, and the virtuosity of structures in art-making.
Parson received a TONY nomination, an Olivier nomination, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three Bessie Awards, The Jacobs Pillow Dance Award, a USA Artist Award, the Doris Duke Award, three Lucille Lortel nominations, and a Franky Award. She was honored with a Chita Rivera Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022, as well as honors from PS122 and Danspace.
