Conversation with Maria Gillespie

Join me for this engaging conversation with my friend and colleague Maria Gillespie. She and I have known each other for over 7 years, ever since I joined the faculty here at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. We have also performed improvisationaly together on multiple occasions, so it was wonderful to dig into her thoughts about improvisation, performance and pedagogy. Enjoy! 

Here's a bit more about Maria: Maria Gillespie is a choreographer, performer, dance and somatic educator. She is a CLMA Laban Bartenieff Movement Analyst and directs MG/The Collaboratory and Hyperlocal MKE, dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration and improvised performance practice. She developed the community teaching project Parts of the Whole, sharing kinesthetic learning and expressive experiences with youth impacted by the carceral system to strengthen communities. She works with long time collaborators, Nguyễn Nguyên and Kevin Williamson, currently developing a new work, to get there from here. Regionally, Gillespie has collaborated with Present Music, Nirmal Raja, Portia Cobb, Sonja Thomsen, Glenn Williams, Nathaniel Stern, Joelle Worm, Christal Wagner, Tim Russell, and Mike Rea. Gillespie founded and directed LA-based Oni Dance (2003-2015) and was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch". Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at venues including The Ford Amphitheatre, The Getty Museum, REDCAT, UCLA, Cal Arts, The Fowler Museum, Highways Performance Space, Joyce SoHo and CounterPULSE. Gillespie has performed and taught in Beijing, Guangzhou, Tokyo, and Mexico City.  She has taught at UCLA Department of World Arts & Cultures, Cal Arts, Loyola Marymount University, University of Iowa, Dance New Amsterdam (NY), Beijing Modern Dance Festival and was a choreographic and teaching resident in Mexico City with Apoc Apoc. Choreographic commissions include Loyola Marymount University, Scripps College, Pomona College, Cal State Long Beach, Utah Valley University, University of Florida, and Santa Monica College dance departments. In 2019, received the 2019 Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She teaches dance at UW-Milwaukee.  

To find out more about Hyperlocal MKE: hyperlocalmke.com 

To find out more about Parts of the Whole: partsofthewhole.org 

To find out more about Daniel Burkholder: https://www.danielburkholder.com/