Stefanie Nelson is the Founder and Director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (SND), a contemporary dance company based in NYC; DANCE ITALIA, international summer dance program in Lucca, Italy, and Motore592, a bold new contemporary art space dedicated primarily to movement-based arts. Her “instinctual, untamed, and edgy” (Eva Yaa Asantewaa) choreographic work is defined by an intuitive approach that distills deeply personal ideas into highly kinetic, expressive and provocative works rooted in cross-media collaboration with artists working in music, video, and visual arts. Presented internationally in Canada, Mexico, and throughout Italy, company performance highlights include the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Fabbrica Europa, DanceNOW @ DTW and Joe’s Pub, Festival de la Ciudad (MEXICO), Boston CYBER-ARTS festival, Whitney Museum (collaboration / Justin Randolph Thompson), and a live broadcast on ABC-TV’s morning show. Recent collaborations include renowned fashion designer Terrence Zhou/Bad Binch TONGTONG (NYFW22, 23, & 24), and curatorial residencies at Theaterlab NYC.
Ongoing SND community projects include the Moving Memory Project & Everyone Dance disability workshops and performances in NYC.
Company residencies include the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Indiana University, Theaterlab, Sam Houston State University, Motore592, Fuoricentro Danza, Bessie Shoenberg Choreographer’s Residency at The Yard (MA), Dance New Amsterdam; and space grants from The Florence Dance Center, Company Blu, and the Harkness Program at the 92nd Street Y.
Recent company support includes the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, West Harlem Development Corp., Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, NYC Mayor's office, and NYC Department for the Aging.
Identified by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) as an ‘Emerging Leader’ in the field of dance, Nelson was invited to participate in a year-long Arts Administration mentorship designed to invest in cultural infrastructure, to create a positive effect on the arts field by building stronger connections and shared knowledge between artists and arts administrators. She was a panelist for NYFA’s Choreography Fellowship awards and has been an NYFA Mentor for the past two years (2018 & 2019). Independent choreographic projects include NYC Couture Fashion Week, Flying Tiger's NYC store opening, & feature film Plan-B.
Entering the dance field as a performer, notably as a soloist with Anna Sokolow’s Player’s Project, Nelson is an accomplished teacher having taught at many studios and educational institutions worldwide.
