Choreographer | Jessica Lang
Jessica Lang
Virginia B. Toulmin & Muriel O’Neil Artist in Residence
Jessica Lang is an American director and choreographer based in NYC. Since 1999, Lang has created more than 100 original works on companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Japan, The Joffrey Ballet, and her eponymous company Jessica Lang Dance.
For over two decades, Lang has worked extensively for American Ballet Theatre. Her creations on the main company include Her Notes, Garden Blue, and ZigZag with the legendary Tony Bennett, as well as Let Me Sing Forevermore which was featured on the ABT Across America nationwide tour and Celebrity Cruise entertainment programs. Lang has created seven ballets on ABT Studio Company, was part of the founding faculty of the JKO School, and a teaching artist and is mentor for the company’s educational programs.
For opera, Lang directed and choreographed Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at Glimmerglass Opera Festival that was presented at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in 2017. She choreographed San Francisco Opera’s 2016 production of Aida that was presented at Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, and LA Opera. Additional commissions include creations for the Kennedy Center with the NSO, The Harris Theater, and Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum. For fashion, Lang was the movement advisor for Carolina Herrera’s Pre-Fall 2022 collection.
Lang was Artistic Director of Jessica Lang Dance from 2011-2019. The company toured to over 85 cities presented by major venues including Lincoln Center, LA Music Center, The Harris Theater, NY City Center, Tel Aviv Opera House, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, BAM Fisher, and Helikon Opera.
Lang, a graduate of The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, is a former member of Twyla Tharp’s company, THARP!. She is the recipient of a 2018 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, 2017 Arison Award, and 2014 Bessie Award. She has been a fellow of NY City Center and NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, and named 2019 Caroline Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University.
