Trajal Harrell
Biography
Trajal Harrell (1973) is an American dancer and choreographer. He gained international recognition through a series of works that combine the tradition of voguing – a modern dance style developed in the Harlem ballroom scene in the late 1980s – with early postmodern dance. His pieces are always tributes to the people on stage. His specific style of movement turns the performers into extraordinary and autonomous beings. Harrell performs on stage himself in most of his pieces. From 2019 to 2024, Trajal Harrell led his own dance company, the Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble, as in-house director at Schauspielhaus Zürich. In 2024, he was honored with the Silver Lion for his work at the Biennale Danza. He is considered one of the most important choreographers working in contemporary dance today.