Elizabeth Streb
Once called "the Evel Knievel of dance," Elizabeth Streb's choreography, which she calls "popaction," intertwines the disciplines of dance, boxing, rodeo, circus and Hollywood stunt work and is a close cousin to such outdoor sports as slacklining, BASE jumping and free soloing. Artists and athletes in these disciplines aim to defy gravity and push the boundaries of what the human body can do, which is Streb's ultimate goal in her choreography. The film Born to Fly (Mountainfilm 2014) is about Streb and her dance company and features their work at the London Olympics, including abseiling face forward down city hall, bungee jumping from the Millennium Bridge and attaching 32 dancers to every other spoke of the London Eye. Streb is a recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "genius award" (1997) and a member of the New York City Mayor's Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission.