# Gillian Rhodes

> Storytelling in Motion


## Posts

- [Artists and the Myth of the Big Break](https://gillianrhodes.com/artists-and-the-myth-of-the-big-break/): I can’t tell you how often I got an opportunity – or even the hint of an opportunity – and thought, this (could be) is my big break! It was meeting a director in Cambodia, or shooting a TV series in Pakistan (that never saw the light of day). It was a Creative Director job in Dubai, and most recently, The Adventures of Mister Moon & Pierrot. And probably so many more that I’m forgetting, times when I wrote in my journal, maybe, maybe, maybe this is the one for me. I’ll make it. It’s not just Hollywood and Actors […]
- [How to Improve Your Storytelling](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-improve-your-storytelling/): It seems to me there is a misconception out there that if you have a story for your company, product, or content, that’s enough. This is not true: there is a difference between good stories and bad ones. Good storytelling helps you get ahead; bad storytelling can either actively harm you or make no difference. (It depends on how bad it is). Let’s treat storytelling as the skill it deserves, people. No, your average ChatGPT “brand story” is unlikely good storytelling. Unless you have a very skilled person who knows AI inside and out and has trained the model carefully […]
- [Why Your Storytelling Strategy Isn't Working](https://gillianrhodes.com/why-your-storytelling-strategy-isnt-working/): Everyone has a story to tell – including brands and business. Storytelling strategy is important, and everyone knows it now. But that doesn’t mean that you can just write some nice sounding words about where you come from and except people to flock to your store, website, or what have you. Having a story isn’t enough: it has to be a good story. So, if you’re feeling stuck or confused about why your storytelling strategy isn’t working, here are three possible reasons why. Reason Number One: The Story is Too Generic, or it’s not actually a story This is getting […]
- [Is Dubai Really a Plastic City?](https://gillianrhodes.com/is-dubai-really-a-plastic-city/): Dubai is a plastic city! There are no arts and culture in Dubai! Everything is fake! It’s not a creative city! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this in the first few months after I shifted to Dubai. Listen too much, and I’d probably turn right around and leave, golden visa or not. (Yes, I have one and will talk about how I got a golden cultural visa in a bit). I don’t know how long I’ll stay, because I don’t know how long I’ll stay anywhere, but I think that there’s more to the story. Arts […]
- [How to Choose the Right Music for Dance](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-choose-the-right-music-for-dance/): Almost any choreographer will tell you that finding the right music for dance is the hardest part. Unless you have the great fortune to work with a composer or are creating for a specific song, finding that exact piece of music that matches your concept can be maddening. It used to be something I dreaded. However, I’ve sort of figured out some tricks that make it much easier. I’m here to share this in the hopes that it makes someone’s life a bit less stressful! Just to note at the beginning, I rarely choreograph for specific songs. This is kind […]
- [5 Tips to Get Great Dance Photographs](https://gillianrhodes.com/5-tips-to-get-great-dance-photographs/): We’ve all seen those amazing dance photographs – high extensions, flowing clothes, unreal shapes as they jump. But then you go to the studio to take your own pictures, and somehow, it’s not at all the same. The postures aren’t as strong, the shapes aren’t clear. What’s going on?? And how can you get those beautiful dance photographs? The secret is that photographs, even dance photographs, aren’t really dance. Like I discussed before with film, it’s a different medium, and you need to approach it as such. Photographs are a moment, and the preparation for them is all about gearing […]
- [Best Practices for Filming Dance and Dance Videos](https://gillianrhodes.com/best-practices-for-filming-dance-and-dance-videos/): Since the pandemic, more and more performing arts are going online. However, filming dance requires a fundamentally different approach than performing it live. I would even suggest that dance films are almost a whole other medium, as it requires thinking more like a filmmaker than a performer. That is, at least, what I learned when I too, like many other dancers during the COVID-19 lockdowns, turned to film and video mediums to continue my artistic practice. I learned a lot about the whole process of creating dance films, from filming to editing. It was a lot of trial and error, […]
- [Dos and Don'ts of Working With Disabled Dancers](https://gillianrhodes.com/dos-and-donts-of-working-with-disabled-dancers/): When I lived in Seoul, I trained and performed with a company that regularly worked with disabled dancers, and helped coordinate one of their initiatives, the Korea International Accessible Dance Festival. Here in Pakistan, I’ve done a few projects with differently abled dancers, in particular More Than My Gender and multiple collaborations with visual and performing artist Sarah Mumtaz. Throughout these experiences I’ve had the opportunity to see a variety of work, and I’ve assembled some dos and don’ts for anyone considering ways to be more inclusive and accessible in dance. Before we get started, I’d just like to note […]
- [5 Ways that Dance Can Be More Inclusive](https://gillianrhodes.com/5-ways-that-dance-can-be-more-inclusive/): In a few past blogs I’ve pointed fingers at the more disappointing areas of the dance industry. It’s a bit strange that dance, unlike other art industries, has sort of avoided deeper scrutiny into its more unjust and discriminatory practices. Of course criticism does exist, and the academic field of dance studies has turned its attention to this since the turn of the century. Still, I find that questions of inclusivity and diversity (and particularly accessibility) remain scarce. I could spend a whole blog speculating on why that is. Is it because dance is so ingrained in our practice of […]
- [5 Ways to Combat Artistic Existential Dread: Mental Health for Artists](https://gillianrhodes.com/5-ways-to-combat-artistic-existential-dread-mental-health-for-artists/): I used to joke that if you are an artist, you’ll have an existential crisis at least once every six months. It’s not really that funny, though, because it’s so true, and depending on how things are going I might have several crises in a much shorter timeframe. I think for an artist, questions like why am I doing this, what’s the point, and really what am I doing are quite normal and can actually be productive as it helps you realign and keep focused on why you are doing what you’re doing. But there’s the usual existential crisis, and […]
- [How to Brand Yourself as an Artist](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-brand-yourself-as-an-artist/): Once you start working professionally you’ll start hearing about the branding. You need to have a brand, be a brand, brand yourself, blah blah blah. If you’re not tired of it already, you will be soon! It can be very challenging to try and figure out how to represent yourself as a business. This is especially true because, as an artist, business is often far from your mind. For the purposes of this blog, I’m not talking about why you should brand yourself as an artist. What I can say is that I think that it definitely does help. In […]
- [Performance Art vs Performing Arts](https://gillianrhodes.com/performance-art-vs-performing-arts/): I’m sure there are many people who are a bit confused by the genre of performance art, which can range from the baffling to the bizarre and everything in between. Sometimes it seems to overlap with performing arts in some way, and sometimes it’s on its own planet altogether. There is, however, a clear difference, and it comes down to a fundamentally different approach. While I can be a bit skeptical of performance art at times, I can be equally as skeptical about contemporary dance, so I’ll try to keep this neutral. I’m sure it’s clear from my blog and […]
- [Why Contemporary Dance is Colonial](https://gillianrhodes.com/why-contemporary-dance-is-colonial/): It should not come as a surprise that dance and contemporary dance, while often seen or celebrated as a connecting feature of humanity, has been used for colonial purposes. Whether that’s controlling who dances and why in colonized countries or ongoing barriers around who can do what style, it’s really only in the past couple decades that dance studies have started to examine the depth to which dance has contributed to colonial practices and ideas. The discussion often surrounds ‘western concert dance.’ This generally refers to ballet, modern, and contemporary styles. While ballet is glaringly colonial in its historical arrogance, […]
- [How to Make a Training Plan for Dance](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-make-a-training-plan-for-dance/): They say the hardest part is getting started. While having a training plan for dance doesn’t completely solve the problem, developing a routine and a consistent plan that you can follow does help. That’s what I’m here to help you with (hopefully.) Of course, what kind of training plan you make and how you make it will depend on what your goal is. For example, if you are just using dance to get fit, you would approach it differently. So for the purposes of this blog, the advice I’m giving is relevant for people who want to improve their technique […]
- [How to Deal with Stage Fright](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-deal-with-stage-fright/): Let’s be real: stage fright isn’t just for newbies. It’s something that can continue, even with experienced performers and public speakers. Stage fright can come in various levels and affect people in different ways. For some it can be almost incapacitating. I don’t usually get nerves before performances anymore, but I’ve also been performing for close to three decades. I’ve also learned various strategies for managing it, and at this point I generally confident enough in my abilities to not get a lot of nerves. Still, I do get the physical effects of stage fright like dry mouth, pounding heart, […]
- [5 Mistakes to Avoid as a Beginning Choreographer](https://gillianrhodes.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-as-a-beginning-choreographer/): It’d be nice to think that even as a beginning choreographer, I’ve always been great. That I was a wonderful choreographer and leader and my dancers have always loved working with me. Of course that can’t be true. Especially at the beginning of my career I made a lot of mistakes, both interpersonal and artistically. Fortunately, through various feedback from dancers, other choreographers, and audiences, I slowly started to figure things out. That’s not to say that I’m the greatest choreographer now. I’m still learning! Of course art is subjective, so I’m not discussing here anything about what makes choreography […]
- [Hubs for Contemporary Dance Abroad that Will Surprise You](https://gillianrhodes.com/hubs-for-contemporary-dance-abroad-that-will-surprise-you/): When it comes to hubs for contemporary dance, most people you ask will say the US and Europe. They might be able to identify cities like New York, Amsterdam, or London. Generally, we assume that contemporary dance is a western thing, and when it appears globally, it’s in festivals or these western companies touring. I have a different perspective, though. For the last eleven years, I’ve been working as an independent contemporary dancer in non western countries. I’ve choreographed backup dancers for Cambodian television, presented work at international festivals in Asia, danced for a professional company in South Korea, and […]
- [5 Best Practices for Dance Fitness and Training](https://gillianrhodes.com/5-best-practices-for-dance-fitness-and-training/): Whether or not you are a professional dancer, dance fitness and training is a great way to stay lean and healthy. That doesn’t mean that a weekly Zumba class at your local gym is going to change your life. Even dancers also approach dance training incorrectly and end up losing strength even while practicing or working out a lot. Trust me, I know: it happened to me. In the past couple years I’ve learned a lot about dance fitness and training. It’s mainly by realizing mistakes I’d been making for years and trying to fix them! This list is applicable […]
- [How Old is Too Old to Start Dancing?](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-old-is-too-old-to-start-dancing/): This is one of the most common questions people ask me: how old is too old to start dancing? Perhaps they think that there is a universal age after which companies will not consider dancers, or that there is a single way of approaching dance training. So of course, my answer is always, it depends. The first is, what is the goal? What level do you want to achieve? Do you want to work in it? Perform it? Or just learn the basics? The second is, which style? Some styles, particularly the classical ones, are much more rigorous than others. […]
- [Dancing Beyond Borders: Dance Opportunities Abroad](https://gillianrhodes.com/dancing-beyond-borders-dance-opportunities-abroad/): While there are certain hubs around the world for dance, there are also many dance opportunities abroad. You can develop an excellent dance career in other countries. Or,  you could find other dance opportunities abroad that you might not get in your home country. A few things to note before we begin: I’m writing this from the perspective of an American, so there are certain things that are specific to this experience. With a privileged passport there are more places accessible to me than others. Complicated and problematic dynamics of power and westernization come into play for an American like […]
- [The Secret to a Performing Arts Career](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-secret-to-a-performing-arts-career/): A performing arts career is not typically advised by your local high school guidance counsellor. They’re the sort of careers you expect parents to frown at, long dinners with extended family asking when you’ll get a real job. Of course, that is all normative bull**** if you ask me. The truth is that a performing arts career can and should be as respectable as any career. The issue is simply that it’s not ‘mainstream,’ which means that you have to be a bit creative in putting things together and making ends meet. This blog is all about how it actually […]
- [Are Dance Degrees Worth It?](https://gillianrhodes.com/are-dance-degrees-worth-it/): I know what you’re thinking – dance degrees are probably useless. There are many reasons: dance careers are short, it won’t be recognized by anyone but dance companies, etc. However, the situation is a bit more nuanced, and that’s what I’ll be looking at it in this article. To start with, I’ll talk about the different approaches to dance in the academic and education world. I’ll share a bit about my experience majoring in dance at a liberal arts school. And finally, I’ll offer some advice on what route to take and the advantages of the different options. Please note […]
- [Dance Fitness vs Dance Performance](https://gillianrhodes.com/dance-fitness-vs-dance-performance/): Over the years there have been various dance fitness crazes. From Five Rhythms to Zumba, there’s always some new version of moving to music that the fitness world has picked up. It makes sense, after all, it’s lot more fun to jive to the beat than squats. Dance performance, on the other hand, seems to occupy a whole other world. While we do think of dancers as fit, the focus is much more on the output and aesthetics. Still, dance fitness and dance performance actually do overlap in some ways, even though a gym and the stage might be the […]
- [Tips for Making Memorable Characters for Solo Performances](https://gillianrhodes.com/tips-for-making-memorable-characters-for-solo-performances/): I’ve discussed solo dance performances in this blog before, focusing on how they work and the stories we can tell. Today, however, we’re looking more generally at characters in solo performances, whether it be dance, theatre, mime, film, or other performing arts. This is applicable for all kinds of situations, from creating or choosing monologues for acting auditions to developing a stage persona for standup comedy. Building strong characters that can stand on their own and not rely on a scene partner can be challenging. There are a few things that have helped me, and I’m passing them on here. […]
- [How to Think of Stories for Dance Performance](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-think-of-stories-for-dance-performance/): Have you ever been to a dance performance and left thinking, what was that all about? You aren’t alone – I’ve seen a lot of performances that are almost stubbornly obtuse. Sometimes that’s deliberate: the whole philosophy of post modern and contemporary dance was all about creating movement for movement’s sake. NO meaning should be had, no sir! That’s how we end up with choreographers like Merce Cunningham (no offense to him). Even choreographers who bring in some kind of narrative or meaning often stick with a basic concept that can be explored physically and don’t have a proper story […]
- [How to Use Movement to Build Characters for Stage and Screen](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-use-movement-to-build-characters-for-stage-and-screen/): When you are building characters for the stage or the screen, movement is hugely important. It’s probably more important for stage as the screen is more focused on the face and tighter frames, but nonetheless understanding how movement works for characters is a great skill to have for any actor. I also think it’s important for dancers, especially those working more in dance theater or physical theater (also known as mime in some circles). Movement can help you define characters by age, gender, and personality. While the costume and makeup is of course important, it can still feel fake if […]
- [Stage Presence vs Stage Persona](https://gillianrhodes.com/stage-presence-vs-stage-persona/): Stage presence and stage persona are both terms used, sometimes interchangeably, in the performing arts. They don’t mean the same thing, however, and refer to different skills. Still, both are great assets for any performing artist, and indeed, having a strong stage presence is something that could be make or break for performers. While some people do have a more innate presence onstage, I believe it’s something that can be learned as well. In this article I’ll explain my interpretation of each term and share some tips and exercises for working on them. What does it mean to have a […]
- [Finding Your Artistic Voice](https://gillianrhodes.com/finding-your-artistic-voice/): When you enter the world of being a professional artist, you need to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Even if art remains a hobby, having a distinct artistic voice is something that people talk about a lot. But what is it? How do you get it or find it? How do you translate it into an artist statement? And is it really that important? After over ten years of working professional in the performing arts field,  I would like to think that I’ve developed a strong artistic voice. That’s been confirmed from outsiders as well, […]
- [How to Prepare for a Solo Performance](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-solo-performance/): Solo performance can be a scary thing, but it has its advantages. I’ve been performing dance and dance theater solo for close to six years now and know from experience that preparing for solo performances requires its own storytelling techniques, and there are some things that work better than others. This article is a quick tutorial of the process of preparing a solo performance from idea to the stage. I offer tips and a few flags of what not to do or obstacles to be aware of. Step 1: Choose the right story In this blog you will often hear […]
- [How to Use Improvisation in Practice and Performance](https://gillianrhodes.com/how-to-use-improvisation-in-practice-and-performance/): Improvisation is one of the best skills I ever learned in performing arts. And yes, I mean skill! It’s something that you can learn and get better at. As a performer, I use improvisation both in my studio practice and performance. There are some dance styles which are entirely based on improv, such as contact improvisation. That’s not what I’m talking about here – I’m talking about spontaneous, un-choreographed movement. In practice and performance, this approach is a great way of generating ideas, diversifying your movement, and finding new and interesting expressions. In this article I’ll walk you through a […]
- [Crooked Paths to Home: New Short Story Collection](https://gillianrhodes.com/crooked-paths-to-home-short-story-collection/): I have a new short story collection out! Crooked Paths to Home is a collection of seven short stories, ranging from twisted fairytales to sci fi. From the description: Crooked Paths to Home is an eclectic bunch of stories featuring a variety of colorful characters struggle to find their way in their surroundings, set in backgrounds of fairytales, science fiction, and more. From twisted fairytales to parallel realities where deities live alongside humans, the seven stories that make up Crooked Paths to Home are a celebration of the winding, wild paths that still, somehow, bring us to the place we […]
- [Introducing my four new characters](https://gillianrhodes.com/a-new-cast-of-characters/): FINALLY I’ve done it. The 4 characters, or my new alter egos, have been unleashed upon the world. There’s a lot to announce, but let me start by explaining what the characters are even for. I was inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and other alter egos, and by the French comedy with its cast of stock characters. The idea was that if I have a cast of stock characters that appear over and over again throughout my work, they will take on lives of their own. They will, after a time, belong to the world as well as me. […]
- [Why I don't live in the West: an Essay](https://gillianrhodes.com/why-i-dont-live-in-the-west/): In July this year, I will have spent 10 years in Asia – from Cambodia to South Korea and then to Pakistan, where I currently live. People tell me all the time here in Pakistan: “Everyone here wants to go there, so why would you want to come here?” It drives me absolutely bonkers, because most of the assumptions that lead to it are quite simply untrue. More than that, it reflects the fundamental lie that the west has sold to the world, which is that the west is best, and everyone else needs to be like us (except, of […]
- [Communtiy Fatigue: Is there a web3 for loners?](https://gillianrhodes.com/communtiy-fatigue-is-there-a-web3-for-loners/): A couple weeks ago, my brain had a hiccup. It does that sometimes, it’s not unusual, but this one manifested differently. The best word I could use for it was content fatigue. I didn’t want to look at my discord, or twitter, or any social media, and my brain felt like a saturated sponge that couldn’t take anything more. I stopped opening some apps on my desktop and moved others on my phone to a small folder away from the main screen. Because it was so new, I wondered: why was this happening? What had recently changed? Getting to the […]
- [From The Archives: Not This Day on YouTube](https://gillianrhodes.com/from-the-archives-not-this-day-on-youtube/): Back in 2006, my dad and I started working on a thing called Not This Day. It was part of my dad’s reawakening, when he quit his law practice and tried to start a new life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as successful as he planned, and a few years later he went bankrupt. He never did go back to law, but he also never did make it as a show producer, a writer, or any of the other plans. Sounds like a sad story, right? It is, and it isn’t. The entire long journey of discovery and disillusionment is both […]
- [Introducing "More Than My Gender"!](https://gillianrhodes.com/introducing-more-than-my-gender/): I’m delighted to introduce More Than My Gender, a spoken word/dance performance video produced in collaboration with British Council as part of the WOW grants project. More Than My Gender investigates and challenges the assumption that everything a woman is must be measured against her gender. MTMG is performed by me, Sarah Mumtaz, and Tanzila Khan. Original music was created by Natasha Humera Ejaz, and the video was filmed and edited by Bilal Awan. Our makeup was done by Alina Shah. Ayesha Hamza designed Tanzila’s wardrobe, and my suit was custom made by Taughisa Mumtaz. Audio mastering was done by […]
- [Colonization and the imperative of interculturality](https://gillianrhodes.com/colonization-and-the-imperative-of-interculturality/): On a recent trip to Islamabad, I was browsing around Saeed Book Bank in the F7 Markaz. A giant, three-story building packed to the gills with books, Saeed Book Bank is one of my favorite places in Islamabad. I’ve spent over an hour wandering around, browsing coffee table books on gems and architecture, academic texts on Sufism, and more. Their fiction section is wide but not particularly interesting. It is, however, one of the few places I can find books about choreography and dance. I found a book called Intercultural Actor and Performer Training. I immediately knew two things: that it was […]
- [Colonization and the Politics of Suffering](https://gillianrhodes.com/colonization-and-the-politics-of-suffering/): There’s something I’ve noticed throughout the past couple years of the COVID pandemic. It’s not a researched or scholarly position, it’s an observation and an intuition. Really, it boils down to something very simple: colonized countries have a very different relationship with suffering than the colonizing countries. In case you’re new to my journey, I’ve spent the past ten years living in colonized countries. Cambodia (by the French), South Korea (by the Japanese), and Pakistan (by the English). To be truthful, I have no idea if this observation has to do with being colonized or something else. It could be […]
- [Being a Better Ally: Diversity and Allyship Vlog](https://gillianrhodes.com/being-a-better-ally-diversity-and-allyship-vlog/): I don’t often talk publicly or post about diversity or allyship. If I do, it’s to repost something on twitter or insta. I don’t usually speak up, for a few reasons. One, I often don’t see it as my place, and the world doesn’t need more white voices telling people what to do. Two, I feel like I’m still learning so much that I feel odd about putting my own ideas out there. And finally, this is serious stuff, and putting something on my own youtube channel adds a level of ‘self-promotion’ that I feel uncomfortable about. In the end, […]
- [Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese Dance Cover: 2021 year in review](https://gillianrhodes.com/mary-olivers-wild-geese-dance-cover-2021-year-in-review/): There are many layers to this video. On the first layer, it’s a recitation of Mary Oliver’s beloved poem, Wild Geese, which is one of my favorite poems ever. It’s inspired by some videos I saw recently which were an audiovisual representation of some Charles Bukowski’s poems. But instead of taking footage from existing movies or stock footage, I shot my own footage.  It’s also a dance video, because it’s me. And in some sideways way, it’s a little bit of a year in review video.  2021 year in review 2021 was tough. It wasn’t devastating like 2020, it was […]
- [The Hills Are Alive: Dancing and Hiking in the Swiss Alps](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-hills-are-alive-dancing-and-hiking-in-the-swiss-alps/): How dare you speak to me of freedom, while yet I see the sky? The sky is bluer at altitude. Maybe it’s clearer as well. The air is sharper and thinner, and it makes you aware of how you breathe and when, and the effort it takes to walk. I’m aware of a lot of things these days. When you have little else, you notice the present. The happy moments sail and soar and the dull moments drag. Every night I gather my courage before putting down my phone, because that’s when the existential dread begins. Sure, I still have […]
- [The Pirate: A Sci fi Short Story Thriller](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-pirate-a-sci-fi-short-story-thriller/): The Pirate is a sci fi short story mystery thriller, set in a world where the space junk problem has gotten so bad that rockets can’t fly and no one on the surface can see the stars. That’s the way it’s been for over a thousand years, but everything is about to change. After a young man named Jax has a terrifying encounter with an infamous robot called the pirate, it almost seems like destiny that humanity sees the stars again… That’s the synopsis, at least. So the pirate both a robot and a sci fi short story, but it’s […]
- [The Myth of Sisyphus and a very locked door](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-myth-of-sisyphus-and-a-very-locked-door/): You’ve probably heard, somewhere down the line, about the myth of Sisyphus.  The poor Greek hero, bound forever to an impossible task that will never be complete. “Get the stone up the hill,” they said, “it’ll be easy, they said!” I always found that myth fascinating, and of course, I’m not the only one. Perhaps even more famous than the original Sisyphus myth is the philosophical essay by Albert Camus,  which examined the philosophy of the myth. I suppose in some ways, the myth of Sisyphus is very relatable. It more or less describes the common definition of insanity of […]
- [Catching Light International Collaboration](https://gillianrhodes.com/catching-light-international-collaboration/): Catching Light is a collaboration between Croatian sculptor Milivoj Šegan and American performer Gillian Rhodes. Milivoj’s digital light paintings of ‘lumino mobile’ are created by putting light in hand-created terracotta sculptures and then photographed with long exposures. Gillian then projected the results onto a white screen and danced in and out of the projections. Finally, all of the pieces were stitched together. Besides the purely aesthetic appreciation of color and light in Milivoj’s work and how they shift and interact with the performer, we were particularly inspired by scientific principles of light such as the wave/particle duality and the tunneling […]
- [31 Lessons for 31 years](https://gillianrhodes.com/31-lessons-for-31-years/): I was so excited to turn 30 last year. My 20s were fabulous, but somehow 30 just seemed like it would be more sorted, less figuring out and more doing and growing. Well – 30 didn’t quite live up to its promises, but let’s just say it was a rough start and assume it will get better from here! This year on my birthday I decided to put down 31 lessons, one for every year (though some years teach you more than others 🙂 ). Of course, in the end, none of these things are rules, nor are they always […]
- [All These Faces Are Mine](https://gillianrhodes.com/all-these-faces-are-mine/): There is no disguise: all these faces are mine. All These Faces Are Mine is a collaborative photography exhibition bringing together photographer Moin Anjum, makeup artist Iftikhar ul Hassan, and The Performer. The series deals with themes of gender identity, drag, and gender presentation. The exhibition presents four characters: two which are ‘typically’ male and two which are ‘typically’ female. Each character presents as both male and female, and yet still the essence of their personality comes through clearly in both versions. There are no caricatures here – each face, in its context, is genuine. Because we encounter each character […]
- [Breathe: Dance For Climate Change](https://gillianrhodes.com/breathe-dance-for-climate-change/): Between chaos and climate change, pollution and pandemics, it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. I made this video as a little reminder of blue skies and calm minds – because to breathe easy, we also have to be easy. Shot on my rooftop in Lahore, Pakistan with my J2 Osmo Pocket and edited myself.
- [Happily Ever After: New Creative Video Featuring My Dad's Music](https://gillianrhodes.com/happily-ever-after-new-creative-video-featuring-my-dads-music/): About a month ago, I made a dance for my dad for his birthday. While I was doing that, I rediscovered all the recordings from his live concert back in 2008/9 or so. The concert was a wild mix of styles, some covers but lots and lots of original songs. One of the songs in those recordings was “Killing Time,” and as I was listening to it, I realized it was the perfect song for my mood these days. I decided to make a new video featuring this song. Happily Ever After is a piece for quarantine, for broken hearts, […]
- [Gallery: With Love From Gillian, an Evening of Dance](https://gillianrhodes.com/with-love-from-gillian-premiere/): On February 28th, 2021, I presented an evening length solo performance in three acts. The performance featured 3 of my most acclaimed solos, Pierrot, Big Universe Small Human, and With Love From Gillian. I have performed the first two in multiple countries including France and South Korea. This was the first time in my career performing a full evening of work as a solo artist. The evening did feature special intermission performances by Pakistan actor Noor Nir, choreographed by Ibrahim Rana. You can find here the best pictures from the event. Photo credits go to Omar Rehman and Moin Anjum. […]
- [For My Father, On His Birthday](https://gillianrhodes.com/for-my-father-on-his-birthday/): I could say a bunch of stuff for my father that everyone says. Things like, he always supported me – and he did. Things like, he was always there for me – and he was. I was a daddy’s girl from the beginning, and he was always there to make me dissolve into helpless laughter. But you know that story. When I was in high school, my dad got hurt. It set off something in his brain, because he left a successful law career and decided to produce a multimedia show that spoke of hope and change. It was called […]
- [All This Useless Beauty](https://gillianrhodes.com/all-this-useless-beauty/): Once upon a time, there was a great sorcerer. This sorcerer had everything anyone could possibly desire, wealth, power, fame. One of his favorite things was his collection of creatures as vast and as wide as the universe. But despite everything, he was not satisfied, because his collection lacked one thing. While his glass cages held every manner of magical creature, he had never been able to catch one of the luminous beings. These creatures were as quick and as glorious as starlight itself. The sorcerer thought and planned and laid all manner of traps. Alas, they were all in […]
- [I Come In Peace, But Not Meekly](https://gillianrhodes.com/i-come-in-peace-but-not-meekly-poetry/): I come in peace, but not meekly. My hands are open and unarmed; I reach them but do not cover them in the colors of the soil that breathes through the pores of culture and cries poetry into the dailyness of what is and must. I come in peace, but not meekly; I neutralize and assume and integrate and try to paint my face with the cosmetics of culture, but leave off the lipstick that tells my mouth what to say. I stand my ground until I don’t, or don’t until I do, and neither colonizer nor colonized I stand […]
- [The End of Wandering: The Making Of](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-end-of-wandering-making/): The End of Wandering was one of those pieces where I had no idea what I was making throughout the whole process. Honestly, I still don’t know what I made, but I know that it absolutely intrigues me. When I was planning my trip back to the USA, I knew I wanted to visit Copper Mountain, a ski resort at which my family used to practically spend our winters when I was growing up. I don’t really know why – for nostalgia’s sake, maybe. A need to get into the mountains, one of the few places that feel like home […]
- [SciArt Talk Show for CosmoQuest Community Coffee](https://gillianrhodes.com/sciart-talk-show-for-cosmoquest-community-coffee/): This year I somehow managed to sign myself up to create and host a weekly live sciart talk show on astronomy and art. Here’s the behind the scenes story on how it all happened!  I stumbled into the CosmoQuest community by accident. It all started at the beginning of the year when I went looking for astronomy podcasts. I found one I really liked, Astronomy Cast, and listened almost every morning. Every episode they did a shoutout to their patrons, and that inspired me to become a supporter.  One of the benefits on Patreon was joining an associated discord community, […]
- [Artistically Speaking: A New Series with Thinker Guide](https://gillianrhodes.com/artistically-speaking-a-new-series-with-thinker-guide/): One of the themes that has been coming up recently in my life is the need to talk about art. It’s something that is definitely lacking in Pakistan. It only happens about once a year at the Lahore Literacy Festival, and the occasional conference. I’ve been working on my own avenues to expand this. For example, when The Colony Lahore reopens next month, I’ll be curating a monthly series called “Behind the Curtain” to specifically address the lack of discussion about the craft and technique of art. At the same time, my friend Arshad Mehmood, a writer that I had […]
- [First Contact: A Collaboration with Milivoj Šegan](https://gillianrhodes.com/first-contact-a-collaboration-with-milivoj-segan/): First Contact is a multimedia performance, blending digital light paintings projected onto the body. It is an experiment more than anything, but the story behind it is full of odd connections and good timing. Unexpected Collaborations One of the things that happened during the lockdown was that I found myself hosting a live show on Twitch about astronomy and art. (I actually still do that, and it’s on almost every Monday at 10:30am Eastern at www.twitch.tv/cosmoquestx.) One of my guests was the Croatian sculptor Milivoj Šegan. He has exhibited all around the world. Besides his sculpting and restoration work, recently […]
- [Post-Colonial Approaches to Cultural Fusion](https://gillianrhodes.com/post-colonial-approaches-to-cultural-fusion/): When I lived in Cambodia, I heard a lot about “fusion” pieces when international choreographers came and worked with Cambodian dancers. Fusion is an exciting word and promises something new and innovative. The Holy Grail of cross cultural choreography, one could say. But there are post-colonial approaches to this, and there are colonial approaches. The reality of fusion Fusion, however, is a much more complicated thing. I saw a few of the pieces. Usually, it was contemporary choreography, and the dancers added a few sections with their own moves. You could always tell – the curved fingers of the Apsara […]
- [The Wormhole: Reflections on Deep Cultural Shifts](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-wormhole-reflections-on-deep-cultural-shifts/): The body moves quickly, but the soul is slow, catching up only after time.  There is obviously more to say about cultural shifts. Today, I’m just talking about the wormhole. In astronomy, a wormhole is a theoretical structure that connects different places of the universe through a shorter “tunnel” of spacetime. Most astrophysicists agree that it’s a mathematical curiosity and couldn’t actually appear in nature. It’s attractive because obviously it implies faster-than-light travel and shortcuts through the impossibly vast interstellar space. In practice, it means leaving one end of the universe, and coming out on the other. In so many […]
- [The Glitch: A Science Fiction Short Story](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-glitch-a-science-fiction-short-story/): Excerpt of The Glitch: A science fiction short story. Read the full story in my short story collection!  Hex and me weren’t rich, never had been. We lived in the slums by the docks, rumbling all night as the rockets fired, taking their payloads to the artificial moons and the other planets. I guess I hadn’t been around so long, but in all that time I only remember one time an interstellar ship came by. Hex said they were off to something called serious and by the time they got there, my kids would be dead and they’d still be […]
- [Explorer Ready (Or Not): Art and Astronomy](https://gillianrhodes.com/explorer-ready-or-not-art-astronomy/): I have always loved art and astronomy. When I was little, I loved reading Seymour Simon’s picture books about the planets. When my sisters and I started a newsletter called “Girls Express” for our homeschooling, I researched and wrote articles about each of the planets. I read The Elegant Universe at thirteen and taught a little class on it to my homeschooling group. I *almost* double majored in dance and astrophysics, but I was weak on physics and I didn’t want to deal with the data that comes with the subject, so I just majored in dance instead. Astronomy has […]
- [Quarantine Qreations: Performing in Lockdown](https://gillianrhodes.com/quarantine-qreations-performing-in-lockdown/): When the lockdown hit, I was in the fragile and fraught liftoff stages of getting my own production off the ground. I was about to lock a huge sponsor, I had confirmed my cast, and rehearsals were two weeks into full swing. Slowly, things were closing down but I wanted to push ahead. I knew that we wouldn’t make our opening date in April, but somehow I thought we do manage it in June after Eid. Then one morning I woke up feeling unwell (it turned out to be a stomach thing) and had to rethink it all. By the […]
- [Vida and The Void - Gallery](https://gillianrhodes.com/vida-and-the-void-gallery/): Vida and The Void was performed for a special edition of Sway With Us at Olomopolo. The occasion was Remembering Jahanara, in memory of a young dancer who was killed. The piece was about someone coming to terms with their own death. All photo credits to Omar Rehman. Excerpts from the live performance:
- [With Love From Gillian at The Colony - Gallery](https://gillianrhodes.com/with-love-from-gillian-gallery/): With Love From Gillian is a piece about courage and loss and resilience – but mostly, it’s a piece about performance. It is a piece that requires me to give all of myself to the audience – everything that I am as a storyteller, performer, and dancer. Given with love, but lost all the same. Originally performed at Olomopolo in April 2019 for International Dance Day. Performed again at The Colony Lahore November 2019 for the inaugural Sway With Us choreographer’s showcase. All photo credits to Omar Rehman.
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 8](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-vol-8/): It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog, so let’s start with the spoilers: I’m still in Pakistan. In fact, in a twist of life that I still have yet to properly understand, I live here now. I have a flat that slowly becomes more of a home space every day, a motorcycle, and a bank account, all things one usually associates with being settled. A few weeks ago, I unpacked my big suitcase for the first time since leaving Korea. This past weekend, I bought a coat rack and shelves so I have a place to put […]
- [Editorial Shoot with Ashna Khan: Gallery](https://gillianrhodes.com/editorial-shoot-ashna-khan/): When I first came to Pakistan in 2018, I had the opportunity to shoot with award winning photographer Ashna Khan. We worked on the concept together. Here are the images!
- [Manifesto 2018](https://gillianrhodes.com/manifesto-2018/): No to being a Changemaker No to leading as Leader No to stigmatizing the normal No to being a Savior No to focusing on impact No to seeking followers and views No to drama No to questioning and analysis No to hope and expectations Yes to presence Yes to local Yes to intuition Yes to being vulnerable Yes to letting go of control Yes to living Yes to being alive
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, volume 7](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-v-7/): In all my blogs thus far, I’ve focused almost exclusively on dance, which is partly because that’s obviously what I do and what I’m here for, and partly because I wanted to showcase that in Pakistan, of all places, there is lots of art, dance, and performance. I’ve tried to stay away from getting political, cultural, or religious, as those get into the sticky areas where misunderstandings and indignation is a hairsbreadth away. But now, four months and seven blogs in, it’s time. Let’s talk religion for a second. Life in Pakistan during Ramadan Today is the nineteenth day of […]
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 6](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-volume-6/): Beginnings are easy to write. At that point it’s just impressions, first thoughts and ideas, things are different like this, life works like that. But once I’m in the middle, I lose my words. I don’t know what to write anymore, what to tell you that I haven’t. Life dwindles from the initial sightseeing and learning to — well, life. It’s not that it’s any less astonishing or new, it’s just that I’m so deep in the middle of it it’s hard to see. So here I am, trying again. The past month has been filled with new experiences and […]
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 5](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-volume-5/): Me being here raises eyebrows and turns heads. It’s strange to be here, strange to be onstage, strange to be out on the streets. I’m used to the staring, and used to being the only foreigner. It occasionally gets uncomfortable, such as one meal in the walled city of Lahore when the group of guys at an adjacent literally sat backwards in their seats to stare at me. And sometimes I still get lonely (especially when I can’t understand the language, which is why I work so hard to learn). That’s one reason I prefer to spend time with dancers, […]
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 4](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-volume-4/)
- [Who Am I in This City?: Leaving Seoul for Lahore, Part 2](https://gillianrhodes.com/who-am-i-in-this-city-leaving-seoul-for-lahore-part-2/): “Do you think you actually changed in Korea? Or just sharpened?” During the course of a lovely 2-day wellbeing retreat with Recipes for Wellbeing in Lahore, we made something called a wheel of wellbeing. There were a number of factors to consider, such as mental/emotional needs, social and environmental, physical health, finances, personal growth, and etc. We were asked to rate our current wellbeing in each of the 8 slices of the wheel. Across the board, my scores were quite high. I feel like generally I’m in a good place, I’m happy with where I am and what I’m doing. But when […]
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 3](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-volume-3/): The studio space for the Wahab Shah Dance Company is not very easy to find. I was called to rehearsals to join the troupe performing Norwegian folk dance for a conference in Islamabad, and besides the initial “what the hell??”, I thought it seemed like a great idea. I researched the address as much as possible, though addresses and google maps do not seem to get along very well here. I asked the manager to describe it, and he did, and yet still when the Careem dropped me in the middle of a bustling market I had to call and […]
- [An American Dancer in Pakistan, Volume 2](https://gillianrhodes.com/an-american-dancer-in-pakistan-volume-2/)
- [Who Am I in This City?: Leaving Seoul for Lahore](https://gillianrhodes.com/who-am-i-in-this-city-leaving-seoul-for-lahore/): In South Korea, there are certain paths that everyone follows, or is expected to follow. From dating to business, from family to friends, from fashion to haircuts. There is a Way to do things. A Way to speak. A Way to treat someone who is older, or younger, or superior in position, or inferior. There is Way to succeed. Living in Seoul, I spent a lot of time resisting. Identity became a reactionary principle, almost an automatic, visceral rejection to being defined. It didn’t matter if what people said was true or not — I rejected it. I refused all […]

## Pages

- [Posts](https://gillianrhodes.com/posts/)
- [THE NAME I GIVE MYSELF (2018)](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-name-i-give-myself-2018/)
- [MORE THAN MY GENDER (2021)](https://gillianrhodes.com/more-than-my-gender-2021/)
- [WITH LOVE FROM GILLIAN (2021)](https://gillianrhodes.com/with-love-from-gillian-2021/)
- [GILLIAN PLUS ONE (2022)](https://gillianrhodes.com/gillian-plus-one-2022/)
- [SEARCHING FOR PIERROT (2023)](https://gillianrhodes.com/searching-for-pierrot-2023/)
- [THE PIRATE (2023)](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-pirate-2023/)
- [THE CLOWN & HIS SHADOW (2024)](https://gillianrhodes.com/the-clown-his-shadow-2024/)
- [LIFE BEYOND REASON (2025)](https://gillianrhodes.com/life-beyond-reason/)
- [THE ADVENTURES OF MISTER MOON & PIERROT (2025)](https://gillianrhodes.com/adventures-mister-moon-pierrot/)
- [IMAGINARIUM (2025)](https://gillianrhodes.com/imaginarium-2025/)
- [ALL THESE FACES ARE MINE (2024)](https://gillianrhodes.com/all-these-faces-are-mine-2024/)
- [Productions](https://gillianrhodes.com/productions/)
- [Storytelling in Motion](https://gillianrhodes.com/storytelling-in-motion/)
- [Creator](https://gillianrhodes.com/creator/): Creating authentic and unique stories through movement, visuals, and text Learn More About My Productions
- [Meet My Characters](https://gillianrhodes.com/meet-my-characters/)
- [Contact](https://gillianrhodes.com/contact/)
- [Performer](https://gillianrhodes.com/performer/)
- [Press & Reviews](https://gillianrhodes.com/press-and-reviews/)
- [Interviews](https://gillianrhodes.com/interviews/)
- [About](https://gillianrhodes.com/about/)
- [Landing Area](https://gillianrhodes.com/)
- [Blog](https://gillianrhodes.com/blogs/)


[comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)