New Jersey-born Stephen Petronio credits two masters of the dance for his inspiration : Rudolph Nureev, the classical dancer who needs no introduction, and Steve Paxton of the Judson Church Dance Theatre and co-inventor of contact-improvisation dance. Two totally contrasting worlds thus converged in Petronio, leading him first to the dance, then to choreography.

Stephen Petronio began his career as first male dancer in the troupe led by Trisha Brown, then the dominant figure in American dance whose influence was to shape his development as an artist.

Bessie Prize winner in 1986, and of the American Choreography Award in 1987, Stephen Petronio has been invited to create works for several leading companies, including the Frankfurt Ballett directed by William Forsythe, the Deutsche Opera of Berlin, the Lyon Opéra Ballet on two occasions, Maggia Danza of Florence, London’s CanDoCo, and most recently, two Mexican troupes, Axis Dance Company and A-Quo Danza contemporanea.

Founded in 1984 and celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, the Stephen Petronio Company has performed in more than twenty countries. Its productions seamlessly integrate contemporary music, the visual arts and the fashion world to create a self-contained universe as challenging as it is stimulating. Among the distinguished artists who have contributed to the company’s repertoire are Laurie Anderson, Arnold Ferrera, Cindy Sherman, Charles Atlas, Michael Nyman, Yoko Ono, Sheila Chandra and Tara Subkoff/Imitation of Christ. It has received commissions from organizations and events as diverse as the London Dance Umbrella Festival, Berlin’s Hebbel Theatre, Montreal’s Festival international de nouvelle danse, the Festival d’Automne in Paris, the Angers CNDC, the Holland Dance Festival, New York’s Joyce Theatre, San Francisco Performances, and White Bird of Portland, Oregon.