Diego Funes is one of New York’s leading Contemporary Dance choreographers. He has choreographed all over the world, including in London, Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Argentina and Brazil and throughout the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. His credits as a choreographer include major works in dance theatre, musical theatre, film and television.
For over ten years, he has worked to create a style influenced by his ballet, gymnastics and worldwide dancing career, creating kinetic, exciting and unconventional solo and group pieces that challenge and inspire his dancers.
His company, de funes dance, has performed throughout New York City, including Battery Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, Symphony Space, Judson Memorial Church, Sans Limites, Dixon Place, Joyce Soho, Salvatore Capezio Theatre, and Galapagos Arts Center, among others.
His latest full -ength evening, Interior Dialogues, including two world premiere pieces, Fragments and V., recently played a sold out engagement at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center in Brooklyn. His acclaimed work, Crisálida, set to music by Astor Piazzolla, has also been staged throughout the world.
He recently conceived, choreographed, produced and directed his first short film, Rendez-vous, filmed on the streets of Paris, with six international dancers.
Trained in gymnastics from the age of four, Diego’s choreographic style is highly athletic, with strong elements of classical dance and contemporary movement and expression that categorize his work with the de funes dance company, the corps he founded in 2006.
As a teenager, he studied at the prestigious School of American Ballet, prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, The New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Baletto del Sud. He went on tour throughout Europe, later returning to the United States to break into musical theatre. His musical credits as a dancer include Cats, Hello, Dolly!, Riverdance, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. During his musical theatre career, he would also choreograph acclaimed stagings of Beauty and the Beast, Hello, Dolly!, And the World Goes Round, Zorba!, Leader of the Pack, the first New York revival of Subways Are for Sleeping and shows for Tokyo Disney. In 2007, he choreographed the major motion picture, P.S. I Love You, directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Gerard Butler and Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank.
Diego lives in New York City, where he is the Youth Ensemble Director at Peridance Capezio Center. He also teaches at Peridance Capezio Center, Ballet Arts at City Center and at Pace University.