The American choreographer and dancer Trajal Harrell (Douglas, Georgia, 1973) is one of the major contemporary choreographers internationally. His unique style combines elements from various dance traditions, fashion, music and visual arts. With universal human emotions and themes like interconnection, tragedy, tenderness and vulnerability, Harrell’s pieces often move audiences on a deeply personal level.

Harrell became internationally known from 2009 with his Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at The Judson Church, a series of works in which voguing − a dance style that came out of Harlem’s ballroom scene of the 1980s - and early postmodern dance form the basis.

He presents his work in theatres, galleries and museums throughout the world and has given pop-up performances in unexpected places, like a Paris bookshop.

In his recent work Harrell weaves theoretical elements from voguing with movements and ideas from early modern dance and butoh, a minimalist and socially engaged form of dance from post-war Japan that was developed by Japanese dancer and choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-1996) in the late 1950s. Harrell’s work explores the overlap between these seemingly divergent dance cultures and puts the body at the centre as a locus of memory, the past and historical influences that shaped his dance practice.

Harrell was a resident choreographer at Schauspielhaus Zürich from 2019 to 2024. In 2024 he founded the Zürich Dance Ensemble with its headquarters in Zurich. It’s the first time in Harrell’s international career for him and his company to permanently tie themselves to one city.

Trajal Harrell is the associate artist for the 78th edition of the Holland Festival in June 2025.