Profile

After receiving his BFA in modern dance from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, Brian Sanders was invited to join Moses Pendleton’s famed MOMIX dance company. Sanders soon began choreographing for MOMIX, working as an assistant to Pendleton on two evening-length works. Acknowledging Sanders’ choreographic talent, MOMIX commissioned four of his individual works. His pieces have been performed extensively throughout the world.

In 1992, Sanders founded Archetype Dance Company. He served as a performer/ choreographer and self produced several evening-length works at the Drake Theater and the Trocadero in Philadelphia. Re-established as JUNK, the company performed their first evening-length performance in 1998. The series of 17 fantastical, comical, fast-paced vignettes, appropriately titled “JUNK,” wholly represented Sanders’ innovative, athletic style of movement. Since the premiere, Brian Sanders' JUNK has been seen swinging through a cavernous garage (“Demand & Writhe”), scaling a giant scaffold beneath a towering bridge (“The Gate”), and sliding through an industrial power station (“AdShock”). Sanders created over 30 other pieces and three more full-length works for the company. JUNK has found widespread success performing on a regular basis at the Live Arts/Philly Fringe Festival.

Sanders began guest teaching and choreographing for the University of the Arts School of Dance in 1998 in addition to teaching at the UArts Summer World of Dance. In July 2001, Brian became a part-time faculty member, teaching modern dance and improvisation, and in 2007 he became a full-time assistant professor. He also choreographs student ensembles for winter and spring concerts held by the School of Dance at the Merriam Theater.

Sanders choreographs annually for the dancers of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Shut Up & Dance,” a benefit for the Metropolitan AIDS Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA). Sanders has also worked with Koresh Dance Company, which premiered his critically acclaimed Tainted in 1994. His choreography for Koresh has been performed at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia and is included in the company’s touring repertoire. Sanders received a Barrymore nomination in 2003 for his choreography in the Wilma Theater’s presentation of “Big Love.”

Sanders currently serves on the modern dance faculty at the University of the Arts, choreographing new works for the bi-annual concerts at the Merriam Theater. Many of Brian’s students from UArts can be seen performing with JUNK, his company which he is continually developing and expanding.

E-mail: bsanders@uarts.edu