Noémie Lafrance

Noémie Lafrance is an acclaimed choreographer, film director, conceptual artist, writer and producer based in Brooklyn, known for her innovative work in public spaces and for engaging in public interventions. Her work has been said to have “changed the fabric of New York City” – La Presse. 

Lafrance's work presented as part of the Whitney Biennial (2004), the Whitney Museum at Altria (2005), the Neuberger Museum of Art, the "Festival TransAmeriques (FTA)" in Montreal (2008), SESC Pinheiros, in Sao Paolo, Brazil (2009), "Mellemrum Festival," Copenhagen (2009), PS 122 (2004), the Black & White Gallery in Brooklyn (2003-2006-2011), the Irondale Theater and the “Brooklyn BEAT Festival” (2012), but is usually staged in public spaces (city-owned spaces) and invested in "reclaiming the public space." Lafrance’s work Agora, seen by over fifteen thousand, reopened the McCarren Park pool site to the public in 2005 after 20 years of abandonment. Her signature work Descent, recipient of a Bessie Award and named “best performance of the year” in Time-Out NY and NY Times, was staged in a stairwell located in a city criminal court house. Her work Noir was staged in a public parking garage and seated the audience in cars, and her work Home used her own body as the site of the performance. Her large-scale work Rapture staged the curved roofs of legendary architect Frank Gehry.

Lafrance has directed several screendance projects and her work as a choreographer for film is sought after for its cutting-edge contemporary approach, choreographic comprehension of camera work and cinematic language. She teaches and mentor dance film production internationally, for which she has developed a workshop curriculum recently thought in Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. She also makes “live films,” and "instructional choreography" combining live performance and film shoot in “Choreography for Audience Take-One” (2012), entirely performed by a participating audience, and “The White Box Project” (2011) which explored contexts for an audience interaction without instructions.

Lafrance versatile and highly specialized skill set working in film environments and with large groups of performers, participants, volunteers and extras, has brought her to collaborate as a choreographer, filmmaker, director and creative director in a variety of contexts. The high profile work she was invited to perform include the “Pan American Games Opening Ceremony” commissioned by Cirque du Soleil (2015), David Byrne and Brian Eno’s world tour (2008-2009), Doug Atkin’s art film installation “Sleepwalkers” presented at MoMA (2007), the Bollywood inspired musical “Basmati Blues” featuring Donald Sutherland, Tyne Daly and Brie Larson, directed by Dan Baron (2012-2015), the feature documentary “My Prairie Home” on the work of music artist Rae Spoon directed by Chelsea McMullan, the opera “King Rogers”& ballet “Harnasie” directed by Lech Majeski at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College (2008), music videos“1,2,3,4,” “My moon my man,” and “I feel it all,” directed by Patrick Daughters and live concerts for Canadian music artist Feist (2007-2008), music videos “In the end” and “Called out in the Dark” for Snow Patrol (2012), Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” (2013), and Carly Rae Jepson’s “I really Like you” featuring Justin Bieber and Tom Hanks (2015).

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