Chris Elam (dancer)

Chris Elam is the founder of Misnomer Dance Theater, a NYC based modern dance company that has been hailed by top New York critics as one of the most innovative and exciting companies in modern dance today.  Misnomer has performed in over 250 theaters in the USA, Indonesia, Turkey, Ireland, Brazil, France, and the Ukraine, and has presented 7 NYC seasons.  The breadth of Elam′s work is exemplified by the range of his artistic collaborators, including the musical artist Bjork, the documentary team at the Sundance Channel, the Danish Dance Theatre, and Apple Computers.  In addition to his choreographic work, Elam works to bring audiences deeper into the performing arts experience.  To this end, Misnomer is developing an Audience Engagement Platform, a website and software system to give audiences greater access and ability to interact with performing artists and their art.  To further these innovations, Misnomer recently received a New York City Cultural Innovation Award from the Rockefeller Foundation in addition to a Leading for the Future grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Nonprofit Finance Fund.  Elam has been on faculty at Brown University and The State Conservatory for the Arts in Turkey, and has served as a guest choreographer at fourteen universities.  Visit www.misnomer.org for more information.