𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐨

Hello Friends, I have an exciting few months ahead, and also a lot to celebrate and be thankful for. Enjoy this updated reel of my work (with some from @jonrua1 when I was associate! 👊) and all of the AMAZING artists I’ve worked with along the way. Share if you feel inspired or if you know anyone seeking a choreographer! 🙏 —— Brianna Mercado is a choreographer, dance artist, and educator based in New York City, passionate about storytelling that viscerally affects audiences through human connection. Originally from San Jose, CA, she attended the @ucberkeleyofficial (Go Bears! 🐻) and graduated with a double major in Dance & Performance Studies @berkeleytdps and Social Welfare. Standout credits include: Theater: The Comedy of Errors - Angelo’s Song (@publictheaterny - Associate Choreographer), It Happened In Key West (@fultontheatre - Choreographer), Pirates of Penzance (@capereptheatre - Choreographer), The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical (@lajollaplayhouse - Associate Choreo; Choreo. @jonrua1 ), @tedx_official “Not Another Cancer Story,” Godspell (@pittsburghclo - Associate Choreo.; Choreo. @jonrua1 ), West Side Story (@milwrep - Associate Choreo. & Dance Captain; Choreo: @jonrua1 ), Urinetown (@startingarts - Choreographer). In addition to choreographing, Brianna is a key leader within @thegrit_channel Dance Collective and proudly serves as faculty at @cap21bfa , @peridancecenter , and @bdcnyc . #dance #choreography #choreographer #nycchoreographer #briannamercado #bripositive #nyc #ucberkeley #tedx #danceclasses #nycdance

Floyd Collins • Opening Night 4.21.25 @lctheater My Broadway debut as an associate choreographer! 🎉 Thank you @jonrua1 for entrusting in me. 12 years of hard work, passion, and dedication have brought us here, and this show is special-beyond-words. Congrats and thank you to this cast! Holy bejesus you all are incredible. Special shout out to our Reporters for learning the most difficult and stylized dance ever. 🙌 Thank you @tinalandau for your artistry, trust, and fearless leadership! What an honor it was to watch you work. Thank you @adamguettel for creating music that transcends— it was an honor to build a movement world for your work. Thank you @jquatapotamus for being my biggest fan and music counting expert! You are the best. 🫶 📷: @chasiannexy #floydcollins #lincolncenter #bripositive

Broadway Off-Stage presents: ESCALATE featuring Brianna Mercado directed, cinematography, edited by | Sheldon Chau (@sheldonchau ) 1st assistant camera | Sangam Rai (@thulungraisangam ) starring | Brianna Mercado (@bripositive ) Rooted in optimism and resiliency, Bri is passionate about creating impactful art, dancing fully, and empowering others to live lives they love. She recently served as the associate choreographer (for @jonrua1 ) for FLOYD COLLINS on Broadway at @lctheater and @huntersthompsonmusical at both @lajollaplayhouse and @sigtheatre in DC. Bri holds a B.A. in Dance & Performance Studies and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, along with a certification in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University. She teaches weekly at Peridance Center and serves on faculty at CAP21/Molloy University, and is always excited for new performance and choreography collaborations. music | Loud(y) by Lewis Del Mar (@lewisdelmar ) produced by Pineapple Bun Productions #broadwayoffstage #sonyvenice #dancer #nyc

Life Update • “Detour Ahead” After 12 years in NYC and checking off some truly unimaginable career dreams, my gut had what I lovingly call a Stacie Orrico moment — that quiet but persistent whisper of, “There’s got to be more to life.” ✨ I missed the simple things: seeing stars, breathing fresh air, putting my bare feet on the earth. Maybe my California-hippie soul was calling me home to nature. Maybe surviving cancer twice and studying mind–body medicine cracked my values wide open. Probably both. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So I asked myself: What if you didn’t have to choose? What if I could have it all — peace and ambition, roots and reach? So I leapt. 💃🏻 I took @juliet.thedog down those three flights of stairs for the last time, stuffed @jquatapotamus ’s car to the brim, and headed to Cape Cod — a place where my nervous system exhales. And now? I travel when the work calls. Anywhere and everywhere! 🌊✈️🚢🚙🚌 Since taking this risk, my life feels bigger. It’s expanding, not louder — deeper. I’m setting refreshed goals that honor not just my career, but also my health, my family, my community, my hobbies, my doggie, and my art. Turns out, purpose has a funny way of meeting you on the other side of courage. 🫶😬

What a spectacular opening night of 𝟑𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐘 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀🎭 We’re immensely proud of this exceptional company and grateful for all the audiences who have filled our houses and made our Off-Broadway opening unforgettable.✨ Get your tickets in the link in our bio. Performances through January 25th! Thank you @marcjfranklin for capturing our show! 📸 #offbrandopera #threepennyopera #georgeabud #offbroadway #brechtweill

What it takes to make an 8-count. Years of dance training + juggling infinite possibilities + pushing through doubt + honoring culture + imaging the stage + guesstimating abilities + teachings from my mentors + remembering lyrics + recalling character arcs + calculating formations and transitions + remaining open to changes + embodying the musicality + fighting distraction + listening to instinct + failing badly + mustering the determination to try all over again. If you are lucky, you are surrounded by beautiful dancers in this wild process. But sometimes you are just by yourself, in a dark orange hallway of a midtown Manhattan studio after rehearsal because you refuse to pay a million dollars to use a studio space for an hour. 😵‍💫 Being a Choreographer is complete madness, but it’s also a practice that I honor. I bow down to. It’s not about me. It’s about the step. It’s about the 8-count. It’s about the story. I’m so thankful for the journey that #3PennyOpera has been! And I’m so excited to see the final product this week! Get your tix!!! #choreography #bripositive #nyc #choreographer

Dancing with @juliet.thedog & Kobi (@elyaos ’s angel dog.)

2 weeks until ✨3Penny Opera✨ opens! Dark and charming, playful yet daring, and unfortunately wildly relevant. So proud to be the Choreographer on this production, and so honored to work beside these incredible humans! Come be part of it. (1/15- 1/25) 🎟️ Tickets available now. @offbrandopera

“Let It Go” • a little lunch hour choreo session during @huntersthompsonmusical rehearsals. Miss ya @jonrua1 ! @thegrit_channel

UP NEXT • I am choreographing 3Penny Opera, running Off-Broadway January 15-25, 2026 at Theatre at St. Jean’s, produced by @offbrandopera ! 🙌 Working alongside super human talents— Adaptation and Direction: #GeorgeAbud Orchestrations: @jakelandaucomposer Choreography: 🙋🏻‍♀️ And a wildly talented cast: @thekatrinalenk #GeorgeAbud #BarbaraWalsh @marytesta.actress @mahirakakkar @alinesalloum13 @alexis_papaleo @anthimemillermusic @berit_palma @josephpyfferoen @nicolavazquezmusic @paulagaudier ‼️🚨 Don’t miss this show! It is going to be amazing! 🤩

Curveball at the @newyorktriathlon — the swim was canceled, turning it into a duathlon! I was definitely unprepared for a surprise 10k, but I still came away with 2nd place 🥈, the 2nd fastest bike split 🚴‍♀️💨, and a PR in the 5K! 🙌 It was also my first time ever racing with clipless pedals and aero bars (game changer! + thank heavens I didn’t fall over) and my heart is full after racing and training with my buddha beauty, muse, and forever friend, @create_self 👯‍♀️💕 Endless gratitude to Justin, @juliet.thedog , @maymatsuorose , @killa_kyle , Keanu, and @livinginmatte for the on-course support and to @jquatapotamus for building this zoomy bike — I named her “Eee Err II.” And she zooms! 🚀 Always learning, adapting, and chasing growth on this triathlon journey! I love it. I think I can call myself a #triathlete now…!? 🤷🏻‍♀️🙌😬 #Triathlon #Duathlon #TriLife #EnduranceAthlete #BikeStrong #WomenWhoTri #bripositive #nevergiveup

Celebrated my 10th summer teaching and choreographing at @dancestudioofmaine ! 💛 #DSOM has truly become a second home for me— a home filled with growth, artistry, working hard, cute dogs, and the very best humans. Feeling so grateful for every dancer, every rehearsal, every class, and every summer spent creating magic with these talented dancers. Huge thank you to @bawsemom and @ace37 for your belief in me all these years, and for your continued support and encouragement! I love DSOM!! What a gift you all are in this wild world. 🫶🥹🙏