Janis Brenner is an American

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

artist,

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

, and singer. She is the Artistic Director of Janis Brenner & Dancers in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.
Kjolley (1970) 17 Feb Janis Brenner, Regional Dance America Accessed: 10 January 2025

Biography

Brenner has performed internationally in the field of contemporary dance. Her honors include a Bessie Awards, New York Dance & Performance Award otherwise known as the

Bessie Awards The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

for her work in

Meredith Monk Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942) is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recordi ...

’s "The Politics of Quiet" and the Lester Horton Award for Choreography in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She has received support from organizations like the NY Foundation for the Arts, the Fund for US Artists at International Festivals, the U.S. State Department,

Asian Cultural Council The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing international cultural exchange between Asia and the U.S. and between the countries of Asia through the arts. Founded by John D. Rockefeller III in 1963, A ...

, The Trust for Mutual Understanding,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, and US embassies in Moscow, Jakarta, and Dakar. She has also received a commission for the interdisciplinary work, The Memory Project, from the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

at Philip Morris. From 1990 to 2005, Brenner performed with

& Vocal Ensemble and continues to present several of Monk's solo works. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

/ADF graduate program in 2009. She is currently a faculty member of

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, serving as a choreographic mentor for the Choreographers & Composers' course, and teaching creative process. Brenner was on the board of The Gender Project in NY and is on the advisory board of The Yard in

Chilmark, Massachusetts Chilmark is a town located on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,212 at the 2020 census. The fishing village of Menemsha is located on the western side of the town along its border with the town ...

. In May 2006, Brenner was inducted into the

Farmingdale High School Farmingdale High School is a public high school located in Farmingdale, New York on Long Island. It is the only high school operated by the Farmingdale Union Free School District. The building opened in 1962. The school also serves East Farmin ...

"Wall of Fame" on Long Island as an honored alumna.

Choreography

* Anima (1981) * Primadonna (1981) * Guilt (1985) * Still There (1987) * Suspicions (1987) * Pieces of Trust (1989) * Anticipation (1989) * The Shekhinah/Voices (1989) * Non Sinatra Songs (1991) * Pieces of Trust (duet version) (1991) * Layers (1992) * Ton of Led (1994) * Shun-Woa (Original title: Uzu Maki) (1994/2007) * A Matter of Time (1995) * What About Bob (1996) * Solo for Janis (created by Richard Siegal, 1997) * On the Rim of Thought (1998) * Heart STRINGS (1998) * The ''L'' Word (2000) * A Peace for Women (2000–2001) * The Last Ones (2001) * Common Ground (2001) * Contents May Have Shifted... (2002) * Lake (2004) * Laugh...Cry (2004) * The Sound of Moving (2006) * Natashka's Tanze (2006) * Room (2006) * The Awkward Stage (2007) * Lost, Found, Lost (2007) * Paradise Songs (2008) * The Memory Project (Ongoing) * Dancing in Absentia (2009) * Inheritance: A Litany (2022) * Interesting Women (final scene only) (2025)

Awards

* New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie Award) for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Meredith Monk's work "The Politics of Quiet", 1997. * New York Dance and Performance Nomination (Bessie nomination) for her performance in "Solo for Janis" choreographed by Richard Siegal, 1999. * Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography in L.A. for the collaborative work "Tom's Renaissance", 1996. * Richard Porter Leach Fellowship for the Arts from

SUNY Empire State College Empire State University (SUNY Empire) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State University is a multi-site institution offering associate, bac ...

, 1993. * New York Dance On Camera Festival award, 1986.

Collaborators

Brenner has performed with Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble since 1990 and performs a vocal suite from Monk's "Songs from the Hill" in concert. She and

Theo Bleckmann Theodor Raoul Bleckmann (born 28 May 1966) is a German singer and composer. Biography Bleckmann was born in Dortmund, West Germany. He planned to be an ice skater before becoming a vocalist. In 1989 he moved to New York City and recorded his ...

recorded their work "Mars Cantata" in 1997.Janis Brenner and Theo Bleckmann, Mars Cantata, 1997, http://theobleckmann.com/MUSIC/music2.html She was also a co-choreographer for

Michael Moschen Michael Moschen is an American juggler. Early life Moschen was a classmate of Penn Jillette's at Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Massachusetts, class of 1973. The two worked together developing juggling performances immediately after hig ...

and a soloist with

Annabelle Gamson Annabelle Gamson (born Annabelle Gold, August 6, 1928 – August 1, 2023) was an American dancer and choreographer. Although she worked in ballet, Gamson was particularly known for her work within modern dance. As a dancer, she drew particular accl ...

's company, performing historic repertory of

Mary Wigman Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer who pioneered expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is considered on ...

and

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877, or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. Bor ...

(1984–87). Additionally, she was a soloist with the

Murray Louis Murray Louis (November 4, 1926 – February 1, 2016) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Life Louis was known as one of the most influential American modern dancers and choreographers. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Manh ...

Dance Company, working with

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

, the

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

Quartet,

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp is a pioneering figure in American theater, known for creating Shakespeare in the Park, which aimed to make classi ...

, the

Batsheva Dance Company The Batsheva Dance Company (Hebrew: להקת בת שבע) is a renowned dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild in 1964. Its inception was inspired by Israel's growing inter ...

in Israel, and

Alwin Nikolais Alwin Nikolais (November 25, 1910 – May 8, 1993) was an American choreographer, dancer, composer, musician, and teacher. He created the Nikolais Dance Theatre, and was known for his self-designed innovative costume, lighting, and production des ...

(1977–84).

References

External links

*
Janis Brenner to Perform One-Woman Show ‘Inheritance: A Litany’ at Trinity

Janis Brenner Juilliard Faculty Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Brenner, Janis Living people American choreographers Artists from New York City Year of birth missing (living people)