Maria Gillespie

Office: Kaufman 185

Tel: 825-7397
Email: gillespie@onidance.org

Maria Gillespie is choreographer and artistic director of the contemporary dance company, Oni Dance. An artist who thrives on improvising, developing, accumulating and interpreting movement, Gillespie?s choreography is a seamless blend of crisp classicism and her own brand of supple, grounded quirkiness. Originally from Nashville, TN, she studied at the School of Nashville Ballet and performed with the company. She received her BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase in 1993.

As a member of the Purchase Dance Corps, Ms. Gillespie performed choreography by Charles Weidman and Lin Hwai-min of Cloud Gate Dance Theater. Upon graduating in 1993, she formed 86 NYLON, a collaborative trio whose choreography was presented (93-95) by Dixon Place, Movement Research, Gowanus Arts Exchange, and Next Stage Company. Since moving to LA in 1996, Ms. Gillespie?s choreography has been presented at Disney Hall?s REDCAT Theater, UCLA, The Fowler Museum, Highways Performance Space, The Electric Lodge, Cal State Long Beach, The Brand Library & Arts Center, The Fountain Theater, The Met Theater, Scripps College, Pomona College, LA Dance Invitational, SOLA Dance Festival, and the Dance Moving Forward Festival, and in Colorado and Tokyo, Japan. Locally, she has worked and performed with Joe Goode, Victoria Marks, David Rousseve, John Pennington, and String Theory Ensemble.

Noted as a ?charismatic, mighty performer?with a distinct vision? (Victoria Looseleaf, LA Times) she is a three time Lester Horton Award winner, (2002 & 2003) for best solo and small ensemble performance for her work with Victoria Marks and Helios Dance Theater. Ms. Gillespie is a 2005 Lester Horton award nominee for best choreography and performance. She is the honored recipient of grants from The Durfee Foundation (2002) and The James Irvine Foundation Grant, Dance: Creation to Performance (2004). A review in the LA Times of her concert at Highways states that her dances... "ricochet between vulnerability and strength with razor-sharp shifts in intensity and intent" (Sara Wolf, LA Times). She has been selected as one of Dance Magazine?s ?25 to watch? (Jan. 05).

Currently, she is working on a commission for Pomona College for their spring dance concert. This summer, Oni Dance will present new work at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and then travel to NYC to participate in the International Dance Festival at DTW. Oni Dance will be presented by The Getty Center in September 2005. Ms. Gillespie is also a principle dancer of Helios Dance Theater (1996-present). She is on faculty at UCLA?s department of World Arts & Cultures where she teaches contemporary modern dance as well as offering weekly modern classes in Venice.

Courses taught by Gillespie

WAC 65 Intermediate Modern/Postmodern Dance

WAC C115/C415 Advanced Modern/Postmodern Dance