Biography
Joe Tennis is a freelance contemporary dancer living in Brooklyn, New York. His artistic ethos is centered in curiosity and craftsmanship, and he has a deep improvisational practice that’s woven into every part of his life from stage to street.
He studied dance at the University of Minnesota, where he had the opportunity to perform alongside the Martha Graham Dance Company & Brian Brooks Moving Company.
Joey’s professional performing career is extensive and widely varied. He currently dances for Zvi Gotheiner in ZviDance, premiering The Field at New York Live Arts (NYLA) in Spring 2024 and premiering Dandelion at NYLA in Fall 2025.
Since moving to New York in late 2022, his freelance credits include collaborations with Mar Angela Talavera Tejeda; performing in Doug Varone’s DEVICES program and at Jacob’s Pillow for her Ann & Weston Hicks Fellowship program alongside Francesca Dominguez. He collaborated with Liony Garcia on his premiere of Fantasy, Punctured for NYLA’s Fresh Tracks program, worked with Garrett Parker on Robot’s Don’t Cry and Room IV, danced in New York Fashion Week for Terry Singh’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, worked with Erin Landers & Brian Ellis in residence at the Peabody Institute for Brooklyn Motion Capture Dance Ensemble, performed in Heather Dutton’s Pass The Potatoes and flash mobbed for Netflix in Times Square for The Umbrella Academy’s Season 4 premiere.
Joe Tennis took part in Carmel Dance Festival’s Dancer Fellowship program in 2023/24 directed by Lillian Barbeito, working/training with Alex Ketley, Javan “Ja’Moon” Jones and Maddy Falconer (Falco Dance).
Bates Dance Festival served as Joey’s bridge between his Minnesota career and his move to New York, where he spent over six weeks in Maine, dance camp style. He was a mentor for the Young Dancers Program for three weeks and attended the Professional Training Program the final three weeks where he trained with Claudia Lavista (Floorwork), Joy Davis (Coutnertechnique), David Dorfman (Rep) and Angie Hauser/Chris Aiken/Bebe Miller/Darrell Jones (Improvisation).
His Minnesota career ran the gamut:
He’s been a continual collaborator with Berit Ahlgren’s Honeyworks, performing in Give Ear, Flight, Essential, feature film Only Dance Can Save Us and a trio of outdoor summer dance productions bolerobolero, La Dolce VIta and In C under co-direction with Hatch Dance’s Helen Hatch. He spent five years with Black Label Movement as both company mover and media manager, performing over a dozen works by Artistic Director Carl Flink. He worked with Zenon Dance Company performing rep by Kyle Abraham, Stephanie Batten-Bland, Gregory Dolbashian, Danny Buraczeski, Colleen Thomas and more. Other credits include Arena Dances, Minnesota Opera, Daara Dance, Slo Dance Company, STRONGmovement, Cohesion Dance Project (Helena, MT), John Mark Creative, Zhauna Frank’s Strange Loop Projects, Sam Lewis’ Manifest Dance, Julianna Johnson and Crash Dance Productions.
For a more detailed look at his journey
view his Extended Biography