Daniel L. Padierna, artistic director of Padierna Dance Project, is a queer Latino dance creator born and raised in Wallington, New Jersey. Padierna recently earned a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University in May 2020. Prior to that, he received his Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education at Montclair State University (MSU).

He is currently on faculty with Diversity of Dance, Inc. directed by Fredrick Earl Mosley and has been a resident choreographer and educator for Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts Summer Dance Intensive for the past four years.

Padierna has performed works from a diverse group of choreographers including Antony Tudor, José Limón, Rennie Harris, Camille A. Brown, Ronald K. Brown and Larry Keigwin to name a few. His choreography has recently been produced at Bryant Park, 14th Street Y, Dance Against Cancer at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Kean University, Passaic County Technical Institute and numerous New Jersey and New York pre-professional dance programs. Padierna was selected to commission work for the Young Choreographer’s Festival at Symphony Space, New York City, as well as Jersey (NEW) Moves! Festival of Dance at New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

He was awarded the MSU Scholarship and Talent Award in May 2016 and MSU College of the Arts Dance Education Award in May 2017. This will be Padierna’s first year as an assistant professor of modern dance at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virgina.