Brendan Drake is a Brooklyn based dance artist and teacher who uses theatricality and disparate movement forms to interrogate issues surrounding gender, vanity and queer power dynamics. His current creative research focuses on analyzing the psychological understandings of how fantasy, performed confidence and worship within queer spaces concurrently help and hinder the development of those social communities.
Brendan has been awarded grants and residencies through the Brooklyn Arts Fund, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, CUNY Dance Initiative, Chez Bushwick, Brooklyn Studios for Dance, Mana Contemporary, Silo Barn, The Tank and Joe's Pub. He was a 2017-2018 Fresh Tracks Artist at New York Live Arts (formerly Dance Theater Workshop) and his work “Community Exercises for Sanctuary Spaces” was honored with a 2020 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) nomination for Outstanding Performer.
His recent work has been presented at Danspace Project, The Brick, HERE, La MaMa, New York Live Arts, Gowanus Loft, Industry City Distillery, Joe’s Pub, Museum for the Moving Image and The Dance Complex (Boston, MA). In addition to his work for the stage, Brendan choreographed the fall 2014 “Equality = Love'' campaign for Adidas Originals/Pharrell Williams. He has also served as movement coordinator on editorial shoots for Vogue, Porter, V and Elle Magazines (photographers: Liz Collins, Ryan McGinley, Collier Schorr). Last May, Brendan co-curated with Dance and Media Artist Kate Ladenheim the digital performance series “19 Acts of COVID-19 Bravery” which was an online exhibition of works, created in isolation, responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic. He has had the pleasure of guest teaching at Columbia University, University of Massachusetts, Muhlenberg College, Gibney, Freeskewl and Ball State University. He was also named a 2016 “Artist to Watch'' in Dance Europe Magazine. Brendan received his BFA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a certified Pilates Mat and Apparatus instructor through the Kane School.
Photo Credit: Whitney Browne