Brad Garner

Brad Garner, a Minnesota native, began his movement journey as a competitive gymnast, swimmer, and diver. His passion for dance emerged during his college years at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (BFA) and Arizona State University (MFA), where he was first introduced to ballet, jazz, and modern dance.

Garner has performed with esteemed touring companies such as JAZZDANCE! by Danny Buraczewski, Keith Johnson/Dancers, Ruth Davidson-Hahn & Company, DanceRINK by Scott Rink, as well as Minneapolis-based groups including Paula Mann Dance and 45 Chartreuse by Erin Thompson and Byron Richard. His diverse modern dance repertoire includes 20th-century classics like Ted Shawn’s “Olympiad,” Anna Sokolow’s “Rooms,” and “Sinner Man” from Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations.” He has also performed post-modern works by Doug Varone, Teri O’Connor, Mark Haim, Danny Shapiro, and Joanie Smith, as well as contemporary variations of Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s masterworks “Rain,” “Drumming,” and “Achterland.”

With over 30 years of experience, Professor Garner has made significant contributions to the dance community both independently through his company GarnerDANCES and collaboratively with Gutierrez-Garner Dance and Harmonic Laboratory. His roles have encompassed artistic direction, performance, lighting design, videography, costuming, and stage management. His original choreography has been performed on university stages across the United States, including in Alaska, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, and Minnesota.

Garner’s collaborative projects with Harmonic Laboratory highlight his strength as a collaborator and innovator. These projects span live performances, interactive fixed media installations, and immersive arts festivals. Notable works include “Zero Crossing” at the Kyma International Sound Symposium in Brussels, Belgium; “Recurrent Constructions” at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; “Desert Reflections: Water Shapes the West” at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon; “Marginalized Voices” at the PLATFORM Contemporary Arts Festival; and “The Color of Sound” with the Eugene Symphony in Eugene, Oregon.

Harmonic Laboratory received the prestigious 2016 Creative Heights Award from the Oregon Community Foundation for their full-scale live production, **TESLA: LIGHT, SOUND, COLOR**. This production narrates the story of physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla, one of the most prolific and misunderstood figures in modern history. The show featured live physics demonstrations, original electro-acoustic music, contemporary choreography, and digital art projections, with guest appearances by members of the Delgani String Players and the Eugene Ballet Company. Performances took place at the Hult Center in Eugene, the Newmark Theatre in Portland, and the Tower Theatre in Bend, Oregon in 2018.

American College Dance Association (ACDA) Northwest Region Board of Directors (2014-2018) and Conference Coordinator (2017)

Integrated Arts Board of Directors – President (2010-2018)