De Funes Dance

Diego Funes has choreographed all over the world, including London, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala and throughout the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. His credits as a dancer and choreographer include major works in dance theatre, musical theatre, film and television.

Over 15 years, he has created a style influenced by his ballet, gymnastics and worldwide dancing career, creating kinetic, exciting and unconventional solo and group pieces that challenge and inspire his dancers.

His company, De Funes Dance, explores the intersection of dialogue and movement in contemporary dance. Funes’ choreography is a rich tapestry of nuance and expansivity and always communicates its conceptual framework. Whether sourced from literary texts, conversations with his artists, or musical scores, language forms the foundation of his choreography.

His company has performed throughout New York City, including Battery Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, Symphony Space, Judson Memorial Church, Sans Limites, Dixon Place, Joyce Soho, Salvatore Capezio Theatre and Galapagos Arts Center, among others.

In 2018, his full-length evening, Interior Dialogues, including two world premiere pieces, Fragments and V., played a sold-out engagement at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center in Brooklyn. His acclaimed work, Crisálida, set to music by Astor Piazzolla, has also been staged throughout the world.

His debut short film, Rendez-vous, which he choreographed and directed on location in Paris, has been featured in over 30 international film festivals, and has won awards in Spain, India and Brazil. His follow-up short film ABSENCE has been seen in 12 international film festivals and has won three awards. Un-fazed, a solo work in progress, was commissioned by the Sanskar Virtual Dance Festival in Goa, India, where it was critically acclaimed. It is now being developed into an expanded work for six dancers. He co-created and directed a dance theatre work for online platforms, First in Half, then in Quarters, that was presented by Mixily Presents: Beyond the Frame - New Plays for Zoom and ArtSpaß.  

In 2007, he choreographed the major motion picture, P.S. I Love You, directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Gerard Butler and Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank.

He trained in gymnastics from the age of four. As a teenager, he studied at the prestigious School of American Ballet, prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, The New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Baletto del Sud. He went on tour throughout Europe, later returning to the United States to break into musical theatre. His musical credits as a dancer include Cats, Hello, Dolly!, Riverdance, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line and The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. He also danced in numerous videos for MTV and with headlining music artists such as Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston and Will Smith.
 
He most recently provided movement staging for actor and musician Hershey Felder’s US tour of A Paris Love Story. He has choreographed acclaimed productions of Beauty and the Beast, Hello, Dolly!, And the World Goes Round, Zorba!, Leader of the Pack, the first New York revival of Subways Are for Sleeping, and shows for Tokyo Disney.
 
Diego lives in New York City, where he is the founder and artistic director of de funes dance, and the Youth Ensemble Director at Peridance Center.