About
Arthur Avilés, an award-winning New York-Rican dancer/choreographer, was named “…one of the great modern dancers of the last 15 years” in 2003 by The NY Times chief critic Anna Kisselgoff. He founded Bronx-based dance company, Arthur Avilés Typical Theatre (AATT) in 1996, and co-founded BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance in 1998. He toured internationally for eight years as a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and was honored with New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards for his outstanding creative achievement during the Jones/Zane seasons in 1988 and 1989. In 2020, the Bessies honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Dance.
He received a B.A. from Bard College and in 2016 received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from his alma mater. His awards include the Mayor’s Award for Art and Culture, an NEA Master’s Grant from Pregones Theatre, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and a BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) award. He’s choreographed nearly three dozen works that were performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Jacob’s Pillow, and dozens of venues across NY, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Connecticut.
He’s been awarded dance residencies at several universities in the US including Oberlin College and the Juilliard School. His recent commissions include a world premiere work for the New York Theater Ballet and for Latin Jazz Legend Arturo O’Farrill. He’s danced for two dozen choreographers including pioneers Toby Armour, Aileen Passloff and contemporary artists Doug Elkins, Marta Renzi, Merian Soto and Tina Croll & Jamie Cunningham in “From the Horse’s Mouth.” His earlier dance works are currently archived at the Hemispheric Institute NYU.