Arthur Avilés – Dance/USA Artist Fellow

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Image Description: Arthur Avilés is a Gay New York-Rican dancer from Queens, Long Island and the Bronx. He is 62 years of age and his skin is the color of maplewood. He has a shaved face and head. He is wearing a black shirt with a collar and he smiles at the camera. Photo by Eliel Perea.

Arthur Avilés

he/him

Bronx, New York | Mohican, Wappinger, Schaghticoke, Munsee Lenape

Arthur Avilés is a gay New York-Rican dancer/choreographer living in the Bronx. In 1996, he formed Arthur Avilés Typical Theatre, and in 1998, along with Charles Rice-Gonzalez, he co-founded BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance. Avilés was a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company from 1987 to 1995. His work has earned numerous accolades, including a New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award, the Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Award, a NYFA Fellowship, the Mayor’s Award for Art and Culture, and a NEA Master’s Grant from Pregones Theatre. He has also received a B.A., an Arts and Letters Award, and an honorary doctorate from Bard College.

In 2020, along with Mr. Rice-Gonzalez, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Bessie Award. He premiered a new performance titled The Naked Vanguard at in Abrons Arts Center for Out Fest 2024, which was later presented at La MaMa in May 2024. Most recently, in the summer of 2025, he had the honor of being invited to present dance artists at the New York Botanical Garden for their Van Gogh, Starry Nights Exhibition. He also collaborated with the AATT Academy and the New York Theater Ballet on a Dance and Robotics Program.

Learn more about Arthur Avilés:

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Image Description: Dance Piece Untitled #1 After Martha Graham, circa 1994, photo by Lois Greenfield. A black-and-white photograph of Arthur Avilés captured mid-air, wearing a long, flowing dress that billows outward. The dancer’s legs are tucked beneath the fabric, arms curved—one overhead and one extended to the side. The head is tilted back, and the background transitions from light at the bottom to dark at the top. Photo by Lois Greenfield, courtesy of Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance.
Image description in caption.
Image Description: Dance Piece Untitled #1 After Martha Graham, circa 1994, photo by Lois Greenfield. A black-and-white photograph of Arthur Avilés captured mid-air, wearing a long, flowing dress that billows outward. The dancer’s legs are tucked beneath the fabric, arms curved—one overhead and one extended to the side. The head is tilted back, and the background transitions from light at the bottom to dark at the top. Photo by Lois Greenfield, courtesy of Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance.
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Image Description: Solo Dance Piece Pichon, circa 1998, photo by Lois Greenfield. A black-and-white photograph of a nude male dancer (Arthur Avilés) captured mid-leap against a dark background. Feathers are attached along his arms, legs, and torso with many loose feathers trailing behind him in the air. His body is angled forward, one leg extended and the other bent, while his arms curve to each side. Photo by LoisGreenfield, courtesy of Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance.

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