Austin McCormick
The Impresario of Baroque Burlesque
With a background in classical dance, a taste for the Baroque, and a thoroughly modern sensibility, Austin McCormick is changing the landscape of nightlife and stage-based entertainment, one glittery heeled shoe at a time. His choreography credits include the Metropolitan and Chicago Lyric, among many opera companies, as well as the Juilliard School and the Kennedy Center. But where he is really making his mark is at his very own Company XIV, a production company and performance venue where Austin crafts and stages his trademark “Baroque Burlesque” revues — elaborate high-brow/low-brow fusions of circus, dance, cabaret, opera, lavish design, and over-the-top sensuality. In an interview with The Dance Enthusiast, Austin said, “I always had the dream of forming an interdisciplinary, genre-blurring queer performance company with performers and collaborators I love.” With their permanent home now established in Brooklyn, Austin and Company XIV are crafting 360-degree experiences for patrons, including custom created cuisine and cocktail offerings.
Projects
Seven Sins, Austin McCormick’s latest extravaganza, delves into the biblical themes of the Fall of Man and the Seven Deadly Sins, with the sensuality and innovative style that have earned Company XIV the accolade “sexiest date night in town” (no small feat in NYC). The show takes the company to new groundbreaking heights and depths, layering more theatrical risk into the already risqué approach McCormick has patented. Austin has also, somehow, managed to make magic sexy… With Cocktail Magique, he presents a unique take on a magic show while also spotlighting Company XIV’s always-innovative cocktail culture in the setting of an ethereal speakeasy. And you’ve probably heard of Nutcracker Rouge, McCormick’s breakthrough production, which transforms the classic Christmas fantasy into an erotic coming-of-age tale? As of 2021, the OG show that secured Company XIV’s status as a hidden treasure of New York insider nightlife and entertainment is available to stream from the comfort of home.
