is a choreographer whose work has been dubbed “The High Weird” by NYT Theater Critic Helen Shaw and a Bessie-nominated performer recognized as “a human gazelle” by The Brooklyn Rail, a “slow-motion avalanche” by The New Yorker, and “a fully committed comic” by the New York Times. She’s made work Lisa Fagan, Maia Chao, Jo Warren, and performed in work by Joanna Kotze, Faye Driscoll, Isa Spector, Alexa West, Iris McCloughan, Barnett Cohen, Brit Falcon, and Third Rail. Lena performs with the band Lou Tides, lead by Teeny Lieberson, and has choreographed for the theater companies The Goat Exchange and The Talking Band. She received the NYSCA Choreography Grant and FCA’s Grants to Artists award and was an NDP Finalist in 2026 alongside Fagan. She has taught dance, choreography, and improvisation at Colorado College (CC), University of Maryland, Barnard College, etc. Lena holds a B.A. in Mathematics from CC. @lena-engelstein