Margie Gillis

Gillis, Margie (b Montreal, 9 July 1953). Canadian dancer and choreographer. She studied ballet and gymnastics in Montreal, and modern dance with May O'Donnell and others in New York. She began her career as a solo artist in Vancouver in 1975 and appeared as a guest artist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Paul Taylor company, Momix, and in Martha Clarke's off-Broadway production of The Garden of Earthly Delights in 1984; she later appeared in Clarke's Vers la flamme (1999). In 1982 Taylor made Duet for Gillis and her brother Christopher, a long-time member of the Taylor company. She has choreographed many works for herself, and is particularly interested in political and social concerns. She tours frequently as a solo artist and enjoys a world-wide reputation. She also teaches her own method of ‘active kinesthesis’ in the US and Asia. Order of Canada 1988.