Bill T. Jones

Bill T. Jones was born and raised in upstate New York. He began his dance training as a student at the State University of New York at Binghamton where, as a theater major on an athletic scholarship, he enrolled in dance classes with Percival Borde.

After living briefly in Amsterdam, Jones returned to SUNY in 1973 and joined with Lois Welk to form the American Dance Asylum. Two years earlier, Jones met his long-time partner and companion Arnie Zane. The two choreographed and performed innovative solos and duos in the 1970s, often employing openly gay choreography. In 1982, they founded Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Company, which provided a vehicle for the development of their choreography.

Jones and Zane gained recognition as “new wave” or “postmodern” choreographers whose large-scale, abstract collaborations were visually and spatially altered by contemporary sets, costumes, and body paintings. They danced in costumes by clothing designer Willi Smith and had sets created by pop artist Keith Haring. These collaborative works were performed in prestigious venues such as BAM and New York City Center.

In 1983, Jones was commissioned to create the fast-paced, all-male Fever Swamp for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, followed by How to Walk an Elephant in 1985. After Zane’s death from AIDS in 1988, Jones continued to choreograph and perform, highlighting the unfolding AIDS crisis in his works. His choreography expanded to the field of opera and musical theater. Jones’ work has been commissioned by companies throughout the U.S. and Europe. In 1986, Jones and Zane received a Bessie Award, and in 1991 Jones was recognized as an “innovative master” with the Dorothy B. Chandler Performing Arts Award. In June of 1994, Jones was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.