Marla Phelan is a NYC based dancer, choreographer, and director creating movement for stage, film, fashion, and immersive experiences. Phelan weaves dance through narratives that delve into the intricate layers of female identity. From the genesis of creation to the relentless passage of time, she digs into the beauty and challenges of existence, portraying characters at the intersection of physical rigor and intuitive humanness. 

 

Phelan is a Simons Foundation grantee for the 2025 premiere of Birth + Carnage, an LMCC grantee for triptych film installation, Obscure Passage, an AKC Fund grantee for award winning short film The Fell of Dark, and a YoungARTS space grantee. Phelan is a recent Open Interval Resident Artist, Alvin Ailey NDCL Choreographic Fellow, Sacred Heart University Choreographic Fellow, and Studio to Stage Resident Artist. Phelan founded the creative initiative, Movement Museum, through Gibney's MTJ Fellowship.

 

Phelan's work has premiered at esteemed venues like Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, LaMama Experimental, Dixon Place, and Chemistry Creative. She has been presented at festivals like Aspen Music Festival, SXSW, and FringeARTS. Her work has been published by Nowness, VMagazine, Refinery29, The NYTimes, and NY Magazine. She has directed movement for Kinlaw, 91 Rules, Fischerspooner, Michael C Hall, RCHRDSN Studio, Maddy Talias, Comedy Central, NBC, CBS, and brand campaigns for Mugler, Maison Margiela, Mazda, GAP, Reebok, LOLA, and Stuart Weitzman.

 

Phelan is a contributing choreographer and performer of Life & Trust, a new immersive production from the producers of Sleep No More. She is a recent co-director and choreographer for Theater Aspen and City Springs Theater Co., a Creative Director at The Mckittrick Hotel and Associate Choreographer/ Director to Broadway's National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof.

 

Phelan has danced for Gibney Company, Hofesh Shechter Company, Akram Khan, Azure Barton, Company XIV, Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof, and Punchdrunk's Sleep No More and The Drowned Man. Phelan trained at The Juilliard School, is on faculty at Mark Morris Dance Center, and has led workshops for NYU Tisch, Brigham Young University, Bard College, and Washington University.