ABOUT JULIAN DONAHUE
Julian Donahue is a NYC based dancer who approaches movement from a ballet background with attention to the historical and folk forms that gave rise to ballet. Julian is a specialist trained in Baroque and Renaissance forms, Cecchetti ballet technique, and also has extensive experience in contemporary and modern dance forms.
In 2021, Julian first started choreographing with the aim of creating and showcasing dances that express transformational political ideas, tell stories, and expand the public imagination. Julian’s varied experience as a dancer across genres and time periods is the seed from which his choreographic practice has bloomed since 2021. Julian’s first work “Displacement” premiered at NYTB’s Lift Lab Live performances, and was performed at Battery Dance Festival, White Wave Dance Festival, and the Queens Outdoor Dance Festival. In June 2024, Julian’s version of Midsummer Night’s Dream will premiere in Boston along with a new work set to Beethoven’s 6th Symphony with live music from the Arpeggione Ensemble. To learn more about all of Julian’s works visit Works.
Julian danced with New York Theatre Ballet from 2018-2024, performing masterworks by Antony Tudor, Merce Cunningham, Jerome Robbins, José Limón and many others. Julian started dancing with Ellen Cornfield in October 2024. Julian also specializes in Baroque, Renaissance, and folk dance forms, performing with New York Baroque Dance Company, Boston Early Music Festival, and at Lincoln Center. Recently, Julian was awarded a 2025 Support for Artists Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. His choreography has been presented at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, Battery Dance Festival, Judson Church, Hofstra University, and more. Julian’s one man show With Violets in Her Lap premiered in April 2025 at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Center. Julian will present and perform With Violets in Her Lap on May 14 & May 15, 2026 at Center for Performance Research and a program of experimental dances at Arts on Site June 11-14 2026.
Julian trained at Manhattan Youth Ballet and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, where he was the second and last recipient of the David Hallberg Scholarship in 2013. Julian graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hofstra University in 2019 with a double major in Dance and Political Science, and minors in Asian Studies and World Literature. Committed to fostering inclusivity and accessibility in the arts, Julian dedicated two years to teaching dance to adults with disabilities at Hofstra in collaboration with AHRC Nassau. The son of an immigrant mother, Julian is fluent in both French and English, and draws on his French roots in his work.
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"Memory Palace" at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (2023). Choreography by Julian Donahue.
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"Mamborama" by James Whiteside (2022). Photo by Richard Termine.
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"Scramble" by Merce Cunningham (2024). Photo by Richard Termine.
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"Toulouse's Dreams" by Bridgman|Packer (2022), in hoop skirt).
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Las Desenamoradas by Eleo Pomare staged by Robin Becker and Dyane Harvey-Salaam (2018). With Dennette Bennett and Katie Gorsky.
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"Uncaged" by Antonia Franseschi (2020)
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Boston Early Music Festival's "Carnaval de Venise" by Andre Campra (2017). Choreography by Caroline Copeland
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"Size of the Sky" by Nicolo Fonte (2022). Battery Dance Festival.
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Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Julian Donahue (2019). With Dennette Bennett and Taylor Wenzl.
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Small Sonata by Richard Alston (2020). Photo by Richard Termine. with Amanda Treiber.
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Body/Light by Random International and SuperBlue Arts. With Amanda Treiber.
