Charissa Barton

Charissa Barton is a choreographer, creative director, dancer and co-founder of Barton Movement with a presence in NYC and Los Angeles. With a career that spans 25 years and 17 countries, Charissa-Lee is proud to have joined forces with distinguished directors, choreogrCharissa-Lee Barton is a choreographer, creative director, dancer and co-founder of Barton Movement with a presence in NYC and Los Angeles. With a career that spans 25 years and 17 countries, Charissa-Lee is proud to have joined forces with distinguished directors, choreographers, musicians and visionaries including David Parsons, Daniel Ezralow, Julie Taymor, Robert Battle, Benjamin Millepied, Aszure Barton, Howard Schatz, Lois Greenfield, Turtle Island String Quartet and Billy Taylor, among others. The middle of the ‘three Barton sisters,’ all successful creative artists, her choreography can be seen on SyFy, Netflix, the Grammy’s and in various films, music videos, and dance shorts. Charissa is co-founder of Axis Connect, a creative platform for world-class dance artists. She was recently chosen as one of six choreographers to showcase her work for DanceBreakNYC at the Ailey Theater in New York City.

Charissa-Lee has performed in renowned venues including the Sydney Opera House, Kennedy Center, City Center, Joyce Theater, La Scala, Spoleto Festival, Jacobs Pillow, Umbria Jazz Festival and countless others. Her background in the conception and production of live events has led her to collaborate on notable projects including productions by New York City Ballet, Parsons Dance Company, and Benjamin Millepied and Company. She teaches masterclasses internationally, and was a driving force in her sisters innovative and exciting dance project, Aszure & Artists, acting as artistic collaborator and dancer from 2002-2009. In addition to her theater and film credits, Charissa-Lee has been featured in numerous publications including Vogue Magazine, New York Times, Dance Magazine, Passion and Line (Howard Schatz), Lois Greenfield works, and prominent international publications.

Along with her achievements in the Entertainment industry, Charissa-Lee helped build and run a humanitarian organization bringing aid to Africa, El Salvador, India, Peru, Ireland, Bolivia and the US.  Armed with a unique creative voice, her extraordinary leadership skills combined with her collaborative spirit render her invaluable as an artistic leader. She is currently developing on a full-length, cross-discipline production with live music and dance, among other projects in NYC and Los Angeles.