BRENDAN DRAKE
Email: brendandrakechoreography@gmail.com
EDUCATION
University of California, Los Angeles, CA
MFA Choreographic Inquiry, June 2023. 72 credits.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
BFA Dance, May 2009
SELECTED PERFORMANCE WORKS
2026 Ceremonials
Dance Place, Washington, DC
2023 Ghost Porn
UCLA Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater. Los Angeles, CA
Fowler Museum. Los Angeles, CA
Movement Research at Judson Church. New York, NY
2024 Brick Theater New Works Festival. Brooklyn, NY
2025 Kestrels. Brooklyn, NY
2022 Melancholia… Solo Version
UCLA Glorya Kaufman Hall. Los Angeles, CA
Jr High Gallery. Los Angeles, CA
2021 Retro Spectre
Chez Bushwick. Brooklyn, NY
The Brick Theater. Brooklyn, NY
Protomedia Past/Future Digital Performance Festival
2022 PAGEANT. Brooklyn, NY
2020 Spare Room
19 Acts of Covid-19 Bravery Digital Festival
2021 Dance Now NYC 25th Anniversary Digital Festival
2019 Community Exercises for Sanctuary Spaces
Danspace Project. New York, NY
Dance Complex. Boston, MA
2020 Exponential Performance Festival. Chez Bushwick. Brooklyn, NY
Brick Theater. Brooklyn, NY
Movement Research at Judson Church. New York, NY (Canceled due to COVID-19)
Tisch School for the Arts. New York, NY(Canceled due to COVID-19)
2018 Insomniac
New York Live Arts Fresh Tracks Residency Showing. New York Live Arts. New York, NY
No Theme Performance Festival. Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center. Poughkeepsie, NY
Dixon Place. New York, NY
2019 Pioneers Go East Collective Crossroads Series at Judson Memorial Church. New York, NY
2017 This is Desire, Parts I and II
Dance Now Festival 2017 at Joe’s Pub. New York, NY
2018 Brooklyn Studios For Dance. Brooklyn, NY
Dance Now Festival 2018 at Joe’s Pub. New York, NY
2017 Duet
Abrons Arts Center. New York, NY
2016 The Big Finish
Triskelion Arts. Brooklyn, NY
2017 Fresh Tracks Series. New York Live Arts. New York, NY
La MaMa Experimental Theater. New York, NY
CRAWL Artist Series. Industry City Distillery. Brooklyn, NY
2015 Rope
HERE. New York, NY
Gowanus Loft. Brooklyn, NY
2016 The Tank. New York, NY
The Wild Project Theater. New York, NY
2014 Mapping
Wild Project Theater. New York. NY
2013 Everything and 37 Gestures for Anna Pavlova
Skull Space. New Orleans, LA
440 Gallery. New York, NY
Triskelion Arts. Brooklyn, NY
2014 Dixon Place
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Theatrical Work
2026 The George Washington University/Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, Washington, DC
Room of Compartments. Choreographer
2025 The George Washington University/Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. Washington, DC
Ceremonials. Choreographer
2024 School For Contemporary Dance and Thought/Hatchery Performance Group. Northampton, MA
Exhausting Love. Choreographer
2021 Smiling Hogshead Ranch. Queens, NY
Cory and Smin's Love Conquers the Earth. Choreographer (Director: Charles Quittner)
2015 University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA
Duke Ellington's “Nutcracker.” Choreographer
Fashion and Commercial Work
2026 Ruin it Music Video for Dexter Angel. Choreographer
2024 Untitled (Sleaze). Photographer Ian Lewandowski. Movement Director and Performer
2018 The Water Dancer by Justin Von Oldershausen. Movement Director
2018 Vogue Turkey. Movement Director for March 2018 Cover shoot (Photographer: Liz Collins)
2014, 2016 Elle Magazine. Movement Director for Editorial Spreads (Photographer: Liz Collins)
2015 Mirella. Movement Coach for Winter and Summer video campaigns (Director: Ryan McGinley)
2015 Dazed Magazine. Movement Coach for Lorde (Photographer: Ryan McGinley)
2015 Another Magazine. Movement Direction for Fall print issue and video feature (Director: Collier Schorr)
2015 Kate Spade. Choreographer for “Walking on Air” Perfume Campaign (Director: Ryan McGinley)
2015 Porter Magazine. Movement Coach for Cate Blanchett (Photographer: Ryan McGinley)
2014 Adidas. Choreographer for “Equality = Love” Campaign (Director: Ryan McGinley)
2014 Hermes. Choreographer for Haute Bijouterie Collection (Director: Roe Etheridge)
Curation
2025 Summer Happenings Festival (Red Hook, Brooklyn)
2020 19 Acts of COVID-19 Bravery Digital Performance Series
PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE
2025
Emily Barasch. Intimacy for the Apocalypse at Kestrels (Brooklyn, NY).
2024
Kayla Hamilton. How to Bend Down/How to Pick it Up. The Shed (New York, NY).
Nattie + Hollis. Fallacies at LMCC River to River Festival (New York, NY)
2023
Janessa Clark. Tiny Dances Film Series (New York, NY)
2013
Marlieke Burghouts. Plural Bodies. Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn, NY)
2012
Jessica Chen. To Identify. Dixon Place (New York, NY), Ailey Citigroup Theater.
2011
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2025 DC Dance Network Choreographers Commission
2025 Emergency Grant Recipient, Foundation for Contemporary Arts
2024 Monira Foundation Fellowship
2022 Clifton Webb Scholarship of the Arts Award
2022 Forti Foundation Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellence in Dance Improvisation
2022 Jean Irwin Dance Scholarship
2022 Elaine Krown Klein Fine Arts Scholarship
2021 UCLA Graduate Division Fellowship
2021 Chez Bushwick Artist in Residence
2020 Brooklyn Arts Fund Recipient, Brooklyn Arts Council.
2019 Emergency Grant Recipient, Foundation for Contemporary Arts.
2019 Fall Artist in Residence, The Floor on Atlantic.
2019 Silo Barn Artist in Residence, Dance Now Boston.
2018 Dance Now Challenge Winner and Grant Recipient
2017-2018 Fresh Tracks Fellow. New York Live Arts (Formerly Dance Theater Workshop)
2017-2018 Artist in Residence, Brooklyn Studios for Dance
2016 Tank Fellow, The Tank NYC
2015 CUNY Dance Initiative Resident Artist, Baruch College Performing Arts Center
2014 Fourth Arts Block Artist in Residence
SELECTED REVIEWS AND MEDIA
Theo Armstrong. “Ghost Porn, By Brendan Drake.” Brooklyn Rail. March 2025
Miya Shaffer. “Ghost Porn, By Brendan Drake.” Culturebot. February 13th, 2025
Londs Rueter. “Working Through a Problem That I Make: A Conversation Between Nic Chilvers and Brendan Drake.” Movement Research/Critical Correspondence. October 11th, 2023
Ryan Andrews. Why Are You Like This? “ ‘The Queer with the Dangly Earring’ with Brendan Drake.” Released July 2021. Podcast.
Courtney Escoyne. “6 of Our Favorite Digital Dance Projects to Come Out of Quarantine.” Dance Magazine. August 6th, 2020
Trina Manino. “An Invitation into the Process of Making Dance: Draftwork at Danspace featuring Brendan Drake and Marion Spencer.” Dance Enthusiast. April 11th, 2019
Trina Mannino. Impressions: Brendan Drake’s ‘This is Desire’ at Brooklyn Studios for Dance.” Dance Enthusiast. March 24th, 2018
Kate Ladenheim. “Perceptions: Brendan Drake’s ‘ROPE’.” Conectom by Leimay. September 29th, 2015