Mykel Marai NairnE

Born and raised in New York City, Mykel Marai Nairne is a Bessie-nominated dance artist, creative producer, and model based in Brooklyn. She received most of her formal dance training at The Ailey School, where she was a fellowship student, and then earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College in 2016. During her time at Dartmouth, and without a formal dance curriculum or department, Mykel delved into other passions, including film, comparative literature, and sociology. As a member of the College’s dance ensemble, Mykel performed solo and ensemble works by choreographers John Heginbotham, Rebecca Stenn, and Mina Lawton. Ultimately, Mykel pursued a major in Film and Media Studies with a concentration in documentary video production. Her undergraduate career culminated in a 20-minute honors thesis film, which explored the persistent racial inequities in the film and television industries.

Upon graduating from Dartmouth, Mykel reignited her movement study through intensives with Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, American Dance Festival, and Movement Invention Project. She has had the privilege of performing works by Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Robert Battle, John Heginbotham, Earl Mosley, and Pedro Ruiz, among others. She joined Dance Heginbotham in 2018, and subsequently made her Off-Broadway debut as a chorus dancer in the critically-acclaimed production of OKLAHOMA! at St. Ann’s Warehouse, directed by Daniel Fish and choreographed by John Heginbotham.

Mykel’s freelance performance work has brought her to venues across NYC and beyond, including Jacob’s Pillow, St. Ann’s Warehouse, the Whitney Museum of Art (2019 Whitney Biennial), Danspace Project, Perelman Arts Center, Brookfield Place, The Space at Irondale, Joe’s Pub, and Symphony Space, to name a few. The New York Times’s Brian Seibert called Mykel an “elegant standout” when describing her “Blackbare in the Basement” performance at Danspace Project in March 2023. She was nominated for a Bessie (“Outstanding Performer”) alongside her fellow Blackbare performers in the same year. Mykel currently collaborates and performs with Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Faye Driscoll, Dance Heginbotham, Jordan Demetrius Lloyd, Studio Susan Marshall, and Megan Williams Dance Projects.

Mykel has also had the privilege of modeling for brands such as Glossier, Oatly, Blluemade, Neen, Clark Jewelry, and Hayley Bridget. As a makeup, skincare, and fashion enthusiast, she is excited to continue working with people and brands that inspire her.

Aside from her performance and modeling work, Mykel served as the Administrative Director for New York Women Composers, a membership organization for women composers who make their living in the New York Tri-State area from December 2021 until June 2025.

PAST PERFORMANCES AND RESIDENCIES

2025

January 9-25, 2025 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | Playwrights Horizons, New York, NY (Off-Broadway Theater)

February 6-8, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | REDCAT Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles, CA

April 24-26, 2025  | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | OZ Arts in Nashville, TN

May 5-17, 2025  | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | LUNCH DANCES | New York Public Library, New York, NY

June 2-7, 2025 | Dance Heginbotham | PARTING FRIENDS Creative Residency | New York, NY

June 19-22, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Festival de Marseille, Marseille, France

June 27-29, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Athens Epidaurus Festival, Athens, Greece

July 4-6, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Julidans 2025, Amsterdam, Netherlands

August 2-3, 2025 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | Williamstown Theatre Festival, MA

September 4-6, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Philadelphia, PA

September 15-20, 2025 | Dance Heginbotham | 24 CAPRICES Creative Residency | New York, NY

September 22-27, 2025 | Dance Heginbotham | PARTING FRIENDS Creative Residency | New York, NY

October 10-12, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Autumn Meteorite Festival, Tokyo, Japan

November 12-15, 2025 | Faye Driscoll | WEATHERING | Festival d'Automne in Paris, France

December 3, 2025 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | LUNCH DANCES (Excerpt) | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

December 5-14, 2025 | Dance Heginbotham | PETER & THE WOLF | Guggenheim Museum of Art, New York, NY

2024

January 13, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | APAP Performance | Ailey Citigroup Theater, NY

January 17-20, 2024 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, Big Sky, MT

March 25-26, 2024 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH

April 5-7, 2024 | Megan Williams Dance Projects | SMILE, THOUGH YOUR HEART IS ACHING | Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn, NY

May 5-10, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | Creative Residency at Dartmouth College | The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH

June 2-8, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | Creative Residency at Governor’s Island | Governor’s Island, New York, NY

August 1-3, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | YOU LOOK LIKE A FUN GUY | Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, NY

September 17-19, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | YOU LOOK LIKE A FUN GUY | The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH

October 21, 23 & 24, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | WOOLGATHERING | Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York, NY

November 9, 2024 | Hélène Simoneau Danse | DELICATE POWER | DANCECleveland, Cleveland, OH

November 13-14, 2024 | Dance Heginbotham | YOU LOOK LIKE A FUN GUY | The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL

2023

January 14, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | APAP Performance | New York City Center, NY

January 20-21, 2023 | Hélène Simoneau Danse | DELICATE POWER | Birmingham, AL

January 27-28, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS Excerpt | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

January 30 - February 6, 2023 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | Creative Residency at Governor’s Island| Governor’s Island, New York, NY

February 28 - March 6, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | Creative Residency at the Ringling Museum | Sarasota, FL

March 9-11, 2023 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | BLACKBARE IN THE BASEMENT*| Danspace Project, NY | *2023 Bessie Nominee

March 20, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

March 24-26, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | EASY WIN & DANCE SONATA | Scottsdale Arts, AZ

April 6, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

April 10-15, 2023 | Studio Susan Marshall | RHYTHM BATH Creative Residency and Public Showings | Lincoln Center, NY

May 20-21, 2023 | Megan Williams Dance Projects | ONE WOMAN SHOW | The Dance Complex, Boston, MA

June 1-3, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

June 9, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | IVERSONGS and CLOSING BELL (Excerpt) | Bryant Park, New York, NY

August 1, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | OLD FASHIONED and ONLY IF YOU MEAN IT | USDAN Arts, Long Island, NY

September 7&9, 2023 | Megan Williams Dance Projects | DANCENOW / NOW: The Dandelion Project | Joe’s Pub, New York, NY

September 22-23, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

September 25 - October 6, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | Creative Residency at Wave Hill | Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

October 11-12, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

October 25, 2023 | Dance Heginbotham | Fungi Fête | Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

December 7-10, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | Top Secret Show | New York, NY

December 13-15, 2023 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The Space at Irondale, Brooklyn, NY

2022

March 21-26, 2022 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | Creative Residency at Danspace Project | St. Mark’s Church, NY

April 23-29, 2022 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | Creative Residency at Petronio Residency Center | Petronio Residency Center, NY

April 28, 2022 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | JEROME | Public Outdoor Showing | Hudson, NY

June 2-3, 2022 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | JEROME at Stephen Decatur Middle School 35 | Brooklyn, NY

July 8-9, 2022 | Dance Heginbotham | THE PLANETS with the Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra| Bridgeport, CT

July 24-30, 2022 | Dance Heginbotham | Creative Residency at The National Center for Choreography | Akron, OH

August 10-14, 2022 | Dance Heginbotham | EASY WIN & DANCE SONATA at Jacob's Pillow | Becket, MA

August 20-21, 2022 | Dance Heginbotham & The Knights | THE PLANETS at La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest | La Jolla Cove, CA

September 17, 2022 | Megan Williams Dance Projects | ONE WOMAN SHOW (Excerpt) at Astor Alive! | Astor Place, NY

October 6, 2022 | Cortney Andrews | ECHOES Live Performance at Marinaro Gallery| New York, NY

October 18-24, 2022 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS Berkeley Rep Creative Residency | Berkeley, CA

December 15-16, 2022 |Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS Showing at the Signature Theater | New York, NY

2021

March 2021 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | IT’S 3:07 AGAIN | Brookfield Place, NY (Video)

April 2021 | Dance Heginbotham | CAPRICE 7 | Brooklyn, NY (Video)

June 2021 | Dance Heginbotham in collaboration with Alarm Will Sound | VOLE SWEEPS UP | Brooklyn, NY (Video)

August 2-5, 2021 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | MANY HAPPY RETURNS | The WP Theater, NY

September 2021 | Dance Heginbotham | CAPRICE 8 | Baryshnikov Arts Center, NY (Video)

September 27- October 2, 2021 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | BAC Creative Residency | Baryshnikov Arts Center, NY

November 8-13, 2021 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | Danspace Project Creative Residency | St. Marks Church, NY

November 29- December 13, 2021 | Jordan Demetrius Lloyd | TRIP GLOSS | Baryshnikov Arts Center, NY (Video)

2020

January 2020 | Susan Marshall & Company | SYNC [working title] | Princeton University, NJ

January-February 2020 | GOOD GOD workshop (movement direction) | Brown University, RI

February - March 2020 | Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company | DEEP BLUE SEA* | Park Avenue Armory, NY

May 2020 | Dance Heginbotham | CAPRICE 2 | Brooklyn, NY (Video)

June 2020 | Dance Heginbotham | YOU LOOK LIKE A FUN GUY | Brooklyn Botanic Garden, NY (Video)

July 2020 | GOOD GOD workshop (movement direction) and virtual reading| Brooklyn, NY (Remote)

September 2020 | VARIATIONS ON AMERICA - OUR LAND 2020 (choreography by John Heginbotham) | Brooklyn, NY (Video)

November 2020 | Dance Heginbotham | CAPRICE 5 | Brooklyn, NY (Video)

*All performances postponed due to COVID-19.

2019

January 21-27, 2019 | TRIPTYCH: EYES OF ONE ON ANOTHER Creative Residency (Dir. Daniel Fish) | MassMoCA, North Adams, MA

February 5, 2019 | Stone Depot Dance (Collaboration with Eleanor Goudie-Averill) | Movement Research at 122C, New York, NY

March 15-16, 2019 | Dance Heginbotham | Annenberg Center Live at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

March 29, 2019 |Stone Depot Dance (Collaboration with Eleanor Goudie-Averill) | thefidget space, Philadelphia, PA

May 24-25, 2019 | Dartmouth Dance Ensemble (Guest Artist and Rehearsal Director) | Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH

June 9, 2019 |Wall to Wall: Coltrane (performing solo choreography) |SPIRITUAL | Symphony Space, New York, NY

June 26, 2019 | Dance Heginbotham with Alarm Will Sound | COMMON FATE & SCRATCHBAND | Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH

July 8-18, 2019 | Dance Heginbotham | White Oak Plantation Residency, Yulee, FL

July 22-26, 2019 | Dance Heginbotham | CUNY Dance Initiative Residency, Kingsborough College, Brooklyn, NY

September 1, 2019 | Brendan Fernandes | The Master and Form |The Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial New York, NY

October 3-6, 2019 | Monica Bill Barnes & Company | Days Go By* | Brookfield Place, New York, NY | *2020 Bessie Honoree (Outstanding Production & Outstanding Visual Design)

November 22, 2019 | Dance Heginbotham | Four Ragtime Dances (World Premiere) with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Cincinnati, OH