Hannah Garner (she/her/hers), recently named ‘25 to Watch’ by Dance Magazine, is a NYC based dancer and choreographer making dance theatre work that “tackles topics like death and queer identity through rigorous, inventive movement and wit” (Dance Magazine). After graduating summa cum laude from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance Performance and Composition, minor in Arts Management, and semester at the Beijing Dance Academy, Hannah has gone on to work with Doug Varone & Dancers, Raja Feather Kelly, Rovaco Dance Company, Sue Bernhard, and Megan Williams in venues such as The Joyce Theater, NY City Center, the Park Avenue Armory, and New York Live Arts.

Under the banner of her dance-theatre company 2nd Best Dance Company, Hannah and her collaborators connect to audiences, students, and professionals alike as they share emotionally accessible work that is relatable and resonant. Since its inception in 2016, 2nd Best Dance Company has been creating and performing physically rigorous, sometimes virtuosic, almost always slapstick dance-plays. Their work has gone past the traditional dance proscenium to include collaborations in sculpture, animation, theatre, film, and site-specific works to connect to both dance audiences and dance newcomers. 2nd Best continues to seek multidisciplinary partnerships, explore limits of the body, and find solace in the humor of being human.

Recipient of the Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch in 2020, Hannah and 2nd Best weathered the pandemic with Zoom rehearsals, outdoor performances at The Ace Hotel in New York, deep breaths, and a weekly technique class offering. Hannah looks forward to 2021 opportunities taking the form of a commission by GroundWorks DanceTheater (Cleveland, OH), a new solo for a senior at SUNY Purchase College (Purchase, NY), a film commission for SMUSH Gallery (Jersey City, NJ), a new evening of work at Triskelion Arts (Brooklyn, NY), and a three week new work development residency made possible by the Atlantic Center for the Arts and Doug Varone (New Smyrna Beach, FL).

Hannah was selected as a 2020 “Emerging Choreographer” by both Springboard Danse Montreal and Dance Now RAW at Joe’s Pub (both interrupted by COVID-19). As 2019 Resident Artist of Triskelion Arts, 2nd Best created their newest evening length dance-play, RED, and continue to host a weekly, sliding-scale technique class. 2nd Best has been presented as one of Gibney Dance’s commissioned dance-mobile artists and given the opportunity to bring accessible dance to the community through the outdoor performance series in Brooklyn Bridge Park.