Molissa Fenley (Choreographer and Performer) was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. She was six years old when her family moved to Ibadan, Nigeria where her father worked with USAID. She attended high school in Spain and then returned to the US to attend and graduate from Mills College in Oakland, California with a BA in Dance in 1975.  She moved to New York City that year and formed Molissa Fenley and Dancers in 1977. In her 35-year career she has choreographed over 75 works.

Early works were commissioned by The Kitchen (MIX, 1979), Dance Theater Workshop (ENERGIZER, 1980 and EUREKA, 1982) and the American Dance Festival (GENTLE DESIRE, 1981).   The company began to tour nationally and internationally in 1980.  The Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival commissioned HEMISPHERES in 1983, with music by Anthony Davis and visual element by Francesco Clemente and GEOLOGIC MOMENTS in 1986, with music by Philip Glass and Julius Eastman.  CENOTAPH (1985), with  music by Jamaaladeen Tacuma and text by Eric Bogosian and commmissioned by Jacob's Pillow, was awarded a "Bessie" for Choreography.  STATE OF DARKNESS, a solo set to Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. a commission from the American Dance Festival was performed over 50 times in many venues around the world. The Brisbane Biennial featured this work with live orchestra, one of Fenley's most memorable performances.  A "Bessie" was awarded to State of Darkness, both for Fenley's performance in 1988 and for Peter Boal's performance in 1999.  Five dancers have danced this work to date:  Fenley, until 1994, Peter Boal from 1999-2000, and Rachel Foster, James Moore and Jonathan Porretta of the Pacific Northwest Ballet  in June 2007, where once again the work was performed with a live orchestra at the 125th anniversary of Stravinsky's music presented by the Pacific Northwest Ballet at McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA.

From 1988 through 1997, Fenley choreographed solo works in collaboration with contemporary visual artists and composers.  A few include:  WITCHES' FLOAT (1993), with music by Alvin Lucier and set by Kiki Smith; NULLARBOR (1993) with music by Robert Lloyd and set by Richard Long; BRIDGE OF DREAMS (1994) with music by Laurie Anderson and set by Kiki Smith; SITA (1995) with music by Philip Glass and photography by Sandi Fellman and TRACE (1996) with music by Jonathan Hart Makwaia, set by Roy Fowler and text by John Jesurun.

Since 1997, Fenley has returned to working with an ensemble.  Performances by the company, including long time members Paz Tanjuaquio, Cassie Mey and Katie McGreevy, have taken place at the Joyce Theater, Summerstage, The Kitchen, City Center, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, the Rovereto Festival, Italy and many others.  Company works include:  ON THE OTHER OCEAN (1999) with music by David Behrman; TIMBRAL INVENTIONS (1999) with music by John Cage; DELTA (1999) with music by John Cage; SKY GARDEN (2000) performed in silence; 331 STEPS (2001) with music by Laetitia Sonami and set by Merrill Wagner; KURO SHIO (2002) with music by Bun-Ching Lam; WATER COURSES (2002) with music by poet Joy Harjo; LAVA FIELD(2004) with music by John Bischoff; DESERT SEA (2004) with music by Lou Harrison; PATTERNS AND EXPECTATIONS (2005) with music by Fred Frith; DREAMING AWAKE (2006) with music by  Philip Glass; CALCULUS AND POLITICS (2007) with music by Harry Partch;  COSMATI VARIATIONS 1-4 (2008) with music by John Cage; ICE,DEW,FOOD,CREW,APE (2009) with music by Alvin Curran and poetry by Bob Holman; DOUBLE BEGINNING  (2010) with poetry by Bob Holman; THE PROP DANCES, a collaboration with five visual artists and four contemporary music composers: MASS BALANCE with prop by Todd Richmond and music by Cenk Ergun; 94 FEATHERS with props by Merrill Wagner and music by Cenk Ergun; PLANES IN AIR with props by Roy Fowler and music by Joan Jeanrenaud; PIECES OF LAND with props by Jene Highstein and music by Jason Hoopes and PROP DANCE #5 with props by Keith Sonnier and music by Lainie Fefferman; and most recently, the premiere of THE VESSEL STORIES, a work in three parts with music by Philip Glass, String Quartet #4 (Buczak).

Ms. Fenley's work has been presented throughout the United States, South America, Europe, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.  She has choreographed works for the Ohio Ballet (FERAL, 1986); the Australian Dance Theatre (A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM, 1986);  the Deutsche Oper Ballet of Berlin (BRIDGE OF DREAMS, 1994); the National Ballet School of Canada (INNER ENCHANTMENTS, 1986); the Performing Dance Company at the University of Utah (TIMBRAL INVENTIONS, 1999), ESCALAY, 1999) and I AND YOU RESEMBLE EACH OTHER, NOW, 1999); Peter Boal (WAITING FOR RAIN, 2002) the Korea/Japan Performing Arts Exchange Association (KURO SHIO, 2003);  DESERT SEA (2005) for the Repertory Dance Theater, Salt Lake City.  Her work has also been performed by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Elisa Monte and David Brown, Dance Alloy, Young Soon Kim Dance Company, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Richard Move, Felicia Norton and Li Chiao-Ping.  Her work resides in the repertory companies of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Georgia at Athens and Mills College in Oakland, California. LATITUDES (1997), a dance for the web commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation, can be viewed at www.diacenter.org/fenley/title.html.

Fenley has been on the dance faculty at Mills College since 1999, in residence every spring semester.  Since 2003, she has also taught choreography at the Experimental Theater Wing of New York University. She was awarded a Rome Prize for a six month residency at the American Academy in Rome from February through August 2008, and named a 2008 Guggenheim Fellow.  In February 2009 she was in residence at  the Atlantic Center for the Arts where ICE, DEW, FOOD, CREW, APE with music by Alvin Curran and poetry by Bob Holman premiered.  Recent New York City performances of the company include the Judson Memorial Church in September 2009 and as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the 92nd Street  Y in March, 2010. A new choreographic investigation, THE PROP DANCES, works made in collaboration with five contemporary visual artists and four composers, were premiered at Joyce Soho, November 4 - 7, 2010. Also on the program, a revival of Regions (1995), supported by an award from the NEA American Masterpieces Initiative. Molissa, along with dance writer Ann Murphy, is presently writing a book on her choreography that should be ready for publication later this year. Recent performances include the premiere of THE VESSEL STORIES at the Days and Nights Festival in Carmel, California on August 27 and 28, 2011. CREDO IN US,  a new work set to the John Cage score from 1942, premiered at the Art Museum at Mills College on September 22, 2011. She is currently working on a new project with photographer Catherine Wagner that will premiere in 2013.