Movers & Shapers: Woman in Dance Leadership Conference with Blakeley White-McGuire

Blakeley White-McGuire is a New York-based dance performer, maker and teacher and holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. Critically acclaimed as a Principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company (2002 – 2016, 2017) she has embodied the most iconic roles of 20th century Modern dance to international critical acclaim. As a leading practitioner of Graham’s technique, she materially contributed to three historical re-imaginings Ardent Song, Imperial Gesture, and Notes on a Voyage.

Simultaneously and throughout her career, Blakeley has created with and performed in new works by 21st Century Contemporary artists including Jacquelyn Buglisi, Jayoung Chung, Martha Clarke, Sean Curran, Sue deBeer, Nacho Duato, Daniel Ezralow, Larry Kegwin, Michael Klien and Steve Volk, Lar Lubovitch, Richard Move, Bulareyaung Pagarlava, Marta Renzi, Pascal Rioult, Luca Veggetti, Robert Wilson and Anne Bogart SITI/ Company.

As a dance-maker, Blakeley’s original works have been presented by The Museum of Arts and Design, Downtown Dance Festival, Dancers Responding to Aids, New Ballet Ensemble, Jacob’s Pillow’s INSIDE/ OUT, Baton Rouge Ballet Theater, Roxbury Arts Group, RAW, the Moving Beauty series at Williamsburg Movement and Arts Center and the Martha Graham Dance Company in a collaboration for Graham II. Her writings expressing the 21st Century Dancer experience have been published by The Dance Enthusiast, The Huffington Post, Dance Magazine, Performance Research Journal, U.K. and most recently in A Life in Dance: A Practical Guide.

Blakeley has served on the faculties of the Ailey School, the New School, The Actors’ Studio and New York City’s famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts as a teacher of technique, repertory and improvisation. A faculty member of the Martha Graham Center since 2002, she is also a coach and official register staging Martha Graham’s repertory internationally, most recently for Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance and Ballet Vlaanderen. Blakeley continues to create, collaborate, research, lecture and perform. A passionate teacher, she leads masterclasses and residencies for companies, universities, studios and festivals worldwide.