Lena Engelstein (dancer)

Lena Engelstein is a dancer, performer, and choreographer. Her work has been dubbed “The High Weird” by critics and lauded as “subtly campy and hilariously queer” by the Brooklyn Rail. Her recent works Friday Night Rat Catchers and Deepe Darknesse, made with longtime collaborative partner Lisa Fagan, were presented by New York Live Arts through their 2025 Live Feed commissioning program and 2024 Live Artery Festival, respectively. She has performed work by Alexa West, Barnett Cohen, Brendan Drake, the interdisciplinary performance collective CHILD, Isa Spector, Jo Warren, Miguel Alejandro Castillo, and Third Rail Company’s Then She Fell (company member, 2019-2020). She choreographs for the band Lou Tides and will appear in the forthcoming Ben Gassman play and Simple Town feature film. She has taught at SUNY Brockport, Colorado Mesa University, Barnard College, University of Maryland, and The Field Center. Lena holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Colorado College.