Celia Rowlson-Hall

Rowlson-Hall interviewed for "New York Filmmakers" series in 2012

Celia Rowlson-Hall is an American dancer, choreographer, and film director. She has choreographed numerous music videos and commercials, and has directed several short films. Her debut feature film, MA, was released in 2015.

Early life

Rowlson-Hall grew up in Urbanna, Virginia,[1] and began dancing at age five.[2] She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance.[3]

Rowlson-Hall has cited Pina Bausch’s dance theater and the British dance company DV8 as early influences on her career in dance and choreography.[2]

Career

Rowlson-Hall moved to New York after finishing college and initially worked in theater dance and choreography. She was mentored by New York choreographer Faye Driscoll, and won a Bessie Award for performance in Driscoll's 837 Venice Blvd in 2009.[1] She first became involved in filmmaking in 2008, when director Ray Tintori hired her to choreograph the music video for MGMT's song "Electric Feel".[3] In 2010, she directed her first short film, Prom Night, in which she also cast herself;[3] it was nominated for a Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest.[4] She went on to direct two further short films, The Audition (2012) and Si Nos Dejan (2013).[3][5]

In 2013, Rowlson-Hall began working as a choreographer on the HBO series Girls; she also choreographed Girls creator Lena Dunham in a video for Vogue magazine. She has choreographed commercials for clients including Lee Jeans and Kate Spade New York, and music videos for artists including Alicia Keys and Sleigh Bells.[1][6] She was named one of Filmmaker magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2015.[3]

Rowlson-Hall's first feature film, MA (2015), is a modern retelling of the story of the Virgin Mary in which Rowlson-Hall plays the lead role.[3] The film, which Rowlson-Hall funded via Kickstarter,[1] was screened at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and AFI Fest.[7][8] In 2017, she created the short film (The [End) of History Illusion] for Miu Miu as the 14th installment in their Women's Tales series.[6]

Rowlson-Hall portrays adult Sophie in the 2022 film Aftersun.[9]

In 2025, Rowlson-Hall served as choreographer for The Testament of Ann Lee. In interviews, she mentions how her own religious upbringing in the Christian Scientist movement informed her approach to the film's choreography. Although she no longer participates in the religion, she described the film as an opportunity to revisit her relationship with prayer through choreography.[10][11]

In the same year, Rowlson-Hall created and directed SISSY, a dance-theater work that premiered at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. The cast included dancers and actors such as Marisa Tomei and Lucas Hedges. This production was her first time back on stage after nearly two decades of working within the film industry.[12][13]

Personal life

In September 2018, Rowlson-Hall married Mia Lidofsky, a filmmaker whom she had met in 2013 when they worked together on Girls.[14] Rowlson-Hall and Lidofsky have one son.[15]

Filmography

Film; as actress

Year Title Role Note
2010 Prom Night Short film
2015 Ma Ma
The Nutcracked Clara Short film
A Morning Light Ellyn
2022 Aftersun Adult Sophie
2026 The Drama Dance Instructor

Film

Year Title Work Note
Director Writer Producer Editor Choreographer
2010 Prom Night Co-director Yes Yes No Yes
2013 The Audition Yes Yes Yes Yes No Short film
2014 Cover Girl No No No No Yes Short film
2015 Molly Takes a Trip No No No No Yes
All These Voices No No No No Yes Short film
Ma Yes Yes No No Yes
The Nutcracked Co-director No Yes No Yes Short film
2017 The Incredible Jessica James No No No No Yes
2018 Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon No No No No Yes
2020 Taxi! Yes No Yes No No Short film
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia Yes No No No No
2021 After Yang No No No No Yes
Birds of Paradise No No No No Yes
2024 Smile 2 No No No No Yes
2025 The Plague No No No No Yes
The Testament of Ann Lee No No No No Yes
Merv No No No No Yes
2026 The Drama No No No No Yes

Television

Year Title Work Note
Director Producer Choreographer
2014 Manhattan Love Story No No Yes 2 episodes
2014-2017 Girls No No Yes 4 episodes
2017-2018 Strangers Yes Executive Yes 3 episodes
2018 Orange Is the New Black No No Yes Episode; "Who Knows Better Than I"
2019 The Other Two No No Yes Episode; "Pilot"
Tales of the City No No Yes 3 episodes
John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch No No Yes Television movie
2021-2022 Ziwe No No Yes 10 episodes
2022 The Staircase No No Yes 3 episodes
TBD Constance No No Yes Television film; Completed

Music Videos

Year Title Work Artist(s) Album
Director Choreographer
2008 "Electric Feel" No Yes MGMT Oracular Spectacular
2011 "Love In Motion" No Yes SebastiAn, Mayer Hawthorne Total
2016 In Common No Yes Alicia Keys Here
2019 "Cry Cry Cry" No Yes Coldplay Everyday Life
2020 "Win It" Yes No Lola Kirke
2025 "Love Takes Miles" Yes Yes Cameron Winter Heavy Metal

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Burke, Siobhan (August 1, 2014). "The Queen of Quirk". Dance Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Winship, Lyndsey (February 26, 2026). "'It felt feral!' The dance dynamo behind The Testament of Ann Lee's sweat-soaked rituals". The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Celia Rowlson-Hall". Filmmaker. 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Celia Rowlson-Hall at IFFR". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  5. ↑ Hanley, Steven T. (March 1, 2016). "The best dance scenes in alternative cinema". Huck. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "(The [End) of History Illusion]". Miu Miu. 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  7. ↑ Debruge, Peter (September 2, 2015). "Venice Film Review: 'Ma'". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  8. ↑ "The AFI FEST Interview: MA Director Celia Rowlson-Hall". American Film Institute. November 6, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Oscars 2023: how Aftersun uses music to perfectly express grief". theconversation.com. March 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ Huff, Matthew (December 22, 2025). "How Choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall Helped Amanda Seyfried Embrace the Holy Spirit". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Jo (February 20, 2026). "How Celia Rowlson-Hall Became Hollywood's Go-To Choreographer". AnOther. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ Regensdorf, Laura (April 25, 2025). "A Starry New Piece of Dance-Theater Explores the Sisyphean Drama of Grieving (and Mothering)". Vogue. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  13. ↑ Sarkissian, Emily (April 4, 2025). "Moving forward: Celia Rowlson-Hall talks 'SISSY'". Dance Informa. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  14. ↑ Macon, Alexanda (January 17, 2019). "A Beach Wedding in the Rain: Celia Rowlson-Hall and Mia Lidofsky's Magical North Fork Ceremony". Vogue. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  15. ↑ Pearl Lansky, Chava (April 23, 2025). "In Her New Dance-Theater Play, SISSY, Celia Rowlson-Hall Explores the Sisyphean Tasks of Being a Mother and an Artist". Dance Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
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