GIANNA REISEN

In 2010, Gianna Reisen began her journey as a student at the School of American Ballet where she studied the Balanchine technique for seven years. During her time there, she performed works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon and Peter Martins in six of the school’s annual Workshop performances. Reisen developed her love for dance-making during the creation process of her piece for SAB’s Student Choreographic Workshop in 2015. After showcasing her work at SAB, she was asked to create a piece for the Fall Session of the New York Choreographic Institute, where she premiered her first ensemble ballet, Hexapoda.

After graduating school in 2017, Gianna accepted a job in Germany as a dancer with the Dresden SemperOper Ballet. That same year, she was commissioned to choreograph an original work for the New York City Ballet’s Fall Fashion Gala, naming her the youngest choreographer in history to offer a ballet to NYCB’s storied repertory. After premiering her work, Composer’s Holiday, with costumes by Virgil-Abloh, the piece would go on to run for the company’s upcoming Winter Season, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. In 2018, Gianna created her second work for NYCB, Judah, for their next Fall Fashion Gala. Soon after, she accepted a job as a dancer and choreographer for the Los Angeles Dance Project where she danced contemporary and modern repertoire for two years, traveled the globe, and premiered Rising Water, in 2019.

Reisen’s focus shifted to film as a medium for choreography between 2020 and 2021.  In that time, she returned full circle, directing and choreographing two short films for the School of American Ballet’s annual Winter Ball. In 2022, Reisen returned to the stage, creating Signs for SAB’s annual Workshop and Playtime for the New York City Ballet, with music by Solange Knowles and costumes by Alejandro Gomez Palomo. Her most recent work, A Moment, Forever premiered this year for the Carolina Ballet.