How to Choose the Right Music for Dance
27 April, 2024
Almost any choreographer will tell you that finding the right music for dance is the
GILLIAN
RHODES
Performer | Storyteller
WHO AM I?
An interdisciplinary American artist who has performed in 20+ cities across 9 countries.
A global citizen and traveler who has lived spent 11+ years living in Asia (Cambodia, South Korea, Pakistan, and now Dubai).
An avid reader, writer, astrophysics enthusiast, polyglot, non-binary and unapologetic supporter of inclusive, equitable spaces.
WHAT DO I DO?
I craft multidisciplinary performances with compelling narrative and impactful emotional arcs.
I create characters and share their stories.
I help people and brands tell their story, from performances to text.
WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?
- Design bespoke performances that tell your story in a unique way.
- Speak at your event about storytelling, self-awareness and self-transformation, cultural exchange, inclusion, and beyond.
- Create content, both technical and creative, for a variety of applications (Find me on Upwork!).
CHARACTERS
These four characters represent my “stock characters” and appear in my work regularly. They are commissionable for bespoke projects such as ads, appearances, trainings, performances, and more. You can even buy merchandise around them and download their reaction GIFs and phone wallpapers!
The Sad Clown
Inspired by the iconic "Pierrot" character of French and Italian comedy, the sad clown represents the blurry line between tragedy and comedy and investigate themes of love, hope, and loss.
GIRL IN THE RED DRESS
Ruthless and ambitious, the girl in the red dress is both beautiful and cruel, using her beauty like a whip. Her story explores themes of innocence and girlhood, ambition, and the tragedy of fame, fortune, and loss.
MAN IN THE SUIT
We all know a man in the suit. Loud, crude, overwhelming, bullying, he dominates – until he doesn’t. His journey explores toxic masculinity and corporate slavery.
MONSTER
Monster is the reflection of the other. Alien and unrecognizable, monster is little more than a mirror upon which we throw our prejudices and expectations.
RECENT PRODUCTIONS
THE CLOWN & HIS SHADOW
WITH LOVE FROM GILLIAN
ALL THESE FACES ARE MINE
SEARCHING FOR PIERROT
THE CLOWN & HIS SHADOW
In the full swing of Bohemian-era Paris, a young man named Jean-Claude works his way into the mime performances and secures the role of Pierrot, the sad clown. The performance follows the joys and sorrows of Jean-Claude’s career and life, and as he and Pierrot grow ever further apart, he must ask the question: who is Jean-Claude, in the end, and will he ever be free of the character he has come to embody? This production blends live and video elements, featuring Gillian as both Jean-Claude and Pierrot. Premiered February 2024 in Lahore, Pakistan.
WITH LOVE FROM GILLIAN
Blending beloved solos like “Pierrot” and “Big Universe Small Human,” live crowd-sourced improvisations, and Gillian’s self-produced short films like “All This Useless Beauty” and “It was all going so well…”, this show is a testament to the incredible range of the artist. Produced previously in Lahore, Pakistan (2021) and Lausanne, Switzerland (2021).
ALL THESE FACES ARE MINE
"All These Faces Are Mine" was an interdisciplinary exhibition and live performance conceptualized by Gillian and curated by Talal Faisal Ismaili, and included works by Pakistani artists Farwa Rizvi, Yumna, and Hamza Rana. The exhibition explores storytelling as identity: the many stories we tell about ourselves, “stories that skirt in and out of the truth," become the truth, and ponders if it is the telling, the hearing, or the believing that makes an identity. The performance explored the “skins” we wear and the changes they wreak upon us. It is a performance and an installation, a statement and a challenge. Throughout the gallery lie the skins of four people, in witness or in memory. As the performer travels through them, they come to life, but are left behind again. Are these skins an identity, or a mask? A plot or an exposition? It is for the audience to decide.
SEARCHING FOR PIERROT
In this one-person coming-of-age play, Gillian plays multiple characters, telling the story of a young boy growing up in the late 19th century. A surprising encounter with the famous sad clown of the theater, Pierrot, sets off a chain of events that leads the boy through the mimes, the freak show, and the opera. He meets a host of colorful and mysterious characters that prompt him to question what it really means to be remarkable, and what it costs.
BLOGS
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26 March, 2024
When I lived in Seoul, I trained and performed with a company that regularly worked