Who

Avant-garde choreographer Elizabeth Streb is known for her athletic (and occasionally dangerous) dances.

Backstory

A native of upstate New York, Streb first started dancing as a student at SUNY Brockport. After spending several years on the West Coast, she moved to New York, where she studied under Merce Cunningham. In 1985, she founded her own company, STREB/Ringside. She's since established herself as one of the most experimental choreographers on the scene, famous for her gravity-defying productions which combine dance, extreme-sports and Hollywood stunt work: Dancers walk on the ceilings, slam into walls, and fly around the room on trapezes. (The motto for her troupe: "Dance, Danger, Action!") Although her work hasn't always been to the liking of critics, she's earned plenty of recognition for her bold attempts to challenge convention. Streb was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 1997.

Much as they have for years, Streb's performances often take place at public venues like Grand Central Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Coney Island. If you're willing to take a risk, you can also visit her at the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics (SLAM), a former mustard company warehouse in Williamsburg that she converted into a studio in 2003. Streb uses the space to teach civilians the secrets of her death-defying moves.

Drama

Streb dancers have long suffered injuries like sprains, bruises and torn ligaments, but in May 2007, a dancer named deeAnn Nelson broke her back while performing a Streb piece. (She ended up having to undergo surgery and had a metal rod implanted in her back, thus ending her career with Streb.) The incident exposed Streb to some controversy over the dangerous stunts, and the tension was amplified when the group's associate artistic director, Terry Dean Bartlett, announced a fundraiser to benefit the injured dancer, and was promptly fired.

On the side

Streb is currently the "Dean's Special Scholar" at New York University's Draper Program. She'a also working toward a Master's in "Time and Space," a combination of physics, philosophy and architecture.

Personal

Streb came out of the closet in her 30s. She now lives with her long-time companion, writer Laura Flanders, in a Tribeca loft with their Abyssinian cat. Not surprisingly, the daredevil Streb is a fan of motorcycles.