Christopher Gillis

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Christopher Gillis (b February 26, 1951 Montreal - d August 7, 1993 New York City) was an important gay, male dancer and choreographer and member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of the late Gene Gillis, an Olympic skier, and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier who competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics along with her twin sister Rhoda. His sister, Margie Gillis, is also a dancer and choreographer. His brother, Jere Gillis, played professional hockey from 1977 to 1987 for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1976 in New York City. He lived and worked in New York for the next seventeen years. He was designated Taylor's heir-apparent. [1] He died from AIDS complications.

Contents 1 Works 1.1 As choreographer 1.2 As dancer 1.3 Film 2 Resources 3 Further reading

[edit] Works

[edit] As choreographer

• Icarus At Night 1994 (posthumous)
• Ne Me Quitte Pas 1993
• Landscape 1993
• Andalusian Green 1992
• Luvs Alphabet 1989
• Spell It Out 1988
• VeRS La Glace 1986
• Thin Ice 1982

[edit] As dancer

• LUVS ALPHABET 1989
• TIME OUT 1989
• GIVE ME YOUR HEART TONIGHT 2 1983
• DUET 1982
• THIN ICE 1982

[edit] Film

• Eye on Dance, Produced by: Celia Ipiotis. Documentary/Interview with Margie and Christopher Gillis, ARC Videodance NY 1990

[edit] Resources

• Memorial Service
• Article and photo on AWA

[edit] Further reading

He is mentioned in the books:

• Moving Words: Re-Writing Dance, by Gary Morris
• Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality, by Patrick Moore
• The American Dance Festival, by Jack Anderson