Biography

Joey Mattar is a New York City based dancer, choreographer, and movement educator working at the intersection of contemporary dance, athletic training, and human connection.

He holds a B.F.A. in Dance Honors from Wayne State University, where his training emphasized improvisation, devised dance-making, contemporary technique, composition, kinesiology, and movement analysis. This foundation continues to inform his approach to movement: grounded in physical clarity, efficiency, and embodied decision-making.

Mattar work has been heavily influenced by his training and dance-making with BAIRA MVMNT PHLOSPHY under Shaina and Bryan Baira, as well as through his training with Sidra Bell’s MODULE Research Laboratory (2021), a choreographic residency in Lucca, Italy with Ricerca X (2021), and as one of Eisenhower Dance Detroit’s Emerging Choreographers (2018). He has also trained at Springboard Danse Montréal (2022), Vim Vigor Summer Intensive (2021), and the Mark Morris Summer Intensive (2021), Jodie Randolph Dance and Megan Scheppelman in Ann Arbor, MI (2016-2018).

Mattar’s choreographic work has been presented at festivals across the United States and has received multiple awards for its athletic rigor and composition. Such credits include the American Collegiate Dance Association (2021), ArtLab J Detroit Dance Race (2021), and being selected for multiple main stage concerts at Wayne State University (2020, 2021, 2022).

Mattar currently works with many collaborators on contemporary and dance-theater works including Eric Blovits, Anneloes Van Schuppen, Alex Schmidt, and Malia Lam. Joey also is a dancer and educator wit Gibney Dance’s Community Action program, Hands Are for Holding, engaging dance as both an artistic and relational practice.

Alongside his artistic practice, Joey is an ACE certified personal trainer and STOTT Pilates instructor, and currently serves as Studio Manager at F45 Training in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. This directly informs his work as an artist and educator, integrating strength, endurance, athleticism, injury awareness, and sustainability into both teaching and choreography.

Artistic Statement

Joey’s choreography is rooted in task-based structures, athletic partnering, and moments of vulnerability that emerge through effort and embodiment rather than performance. He is interested in how instinct and discipline coexist, and in what becomes possible when dancers are trusted to make real choices in real time. Across studios, stages, and community spaces, Joey’s work prioritizes rigor, presence, and an ethos of love.