Gloria McLean (BA Connecticut College, MFA Hollins/ADF) is a choreographer, performer, teacher and artistic director of LIFEDANCE/Gloria McLean & Dancers based in NYC and Andes, NY. Ms. McLean gained critical acclaim as a leading dancer in the Erick Hawkins Dance Company where she toured and performed major roles in the repertory from 1982-1993; was appointed rehearsal director by Mr. Hawkins ’91-93; on faculty at the Hawkins School from 1981 - 2000. “An exquisite dancer… She fills the stage with lush transcendent movement … an artist in complete command of her instrument.” (Phyllis Goldman, Backstage, 1992) After leaving the company, she established LIFEDANCE/Gloria McLean & Dancers, with the goal to make dances that speak to the human condition. Ms. McLean has created over 60 distinct works ranging from proscenium to site-specific to dance paintings & video, pushing the boundaries of dance in relation to new music, visual art and the environment. Jennifer Dunning noted her “…intelligent, witty and sensuous choreographic voice” (NYTimes, April’93).
McLean has taught full time at UW/Madison, George Washington University, Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea and other residencies. She has been President of The American Dance Guild for the past ten years, helping provide performance opportunities for other dancers. She teaches in NYC and her studio in Andes offering summer workshops in technique and composition.