Dance@UCI

Assistant Professor of Dance

Ballet, Choreography, Pointe

Jodie Gates has been working professionally at the highest level in the dance world for over twenty years. Her reputation of a high artistic standard and critical acclaim within the dance community is known and respected throughout the United States and internationally. Currently she choreographs her own works and stages William Forsythe's ballets internationally. She has recently set and coached his works for The San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Scottish Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Upon relocating to southern California Jodie founded and is artistic director of the annual Laguna Dance Festival, and has recently been appointed Assistant Professor of Dance at The University of California, Irvine. Ms. Gates continues to maintain her own choreographic and directing career as well as instructing professional master classes internationally and directing and designing workshops with a wide range of dance techniques.

Ms. Gates' professional dance career began with the Joffrey Ballet in New York City under the direction of Robert Joffrey, marking the beginning of a 14-year career as one of the Joffrey Ballet's most versatile principal performers. In 1995, Ms. Gates joined The Pennsylvania Ballet as a principal ballerina, performing title roles in numerous full-length classical ballets, as well as dancing leading roles in many works by George Balanchine. Jodie then joined William Forsythe's company in Frankfurt, Germany where she danced for five years before returning back to the USA to pursue her choreographic and directing career.

While performing with The Joffrey Ballet, The Pennsylvania Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Frankfurt, and as an international guest artist, Ms. Gates has had the opportunity to work extensively with several master choreographers and teachers. Her expansive and diverse repertory ranges from leading classical roles, modern dances, contemporary ballets and improvisational works.

Ms. Gates recently finished touring internationally and has appeared as a principal artist and teacher throughout North and South America, Mexico, Russia, Asia, Australia and Europe. She has been featured in two PBS Great Performances' series and other television events, including a special presentation performance at the White House in Washington, D.C., 'The Tonight Show,' with Jay Leno and has appeared in several commercial and video works. She can be seen featured on video as ''the women in red' in The Joffrey Ballet's Billboards, a full-length rock ballet set to music by the musical artist Prince.

Jodie has worked as ballet mistress with the Joffrey Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has taught for dance companies such as Ballett Frankfurt, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Parsons Dance Company, Washington Ballet, Hubbard Street, The Scottish Ballet and Matthew Bourne's touring company of 'Swan Lake'.

Choreographic credits most recently include: Barely Silent premiering at The Joyce Theatre in NYC January 2007 commissioned for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Minor Loop for The Washington Ballet in June 2006, Momentary Play premiered in NYC for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet October 2005, now and again premiered at The Joyce Theater and created for Ballet N/Y in 2005, In the Arms of Morpheus for the Phrenic New Ballet in Philadelphia 2004, Laguna Dance Theater Three aT a Time, Somewhere/In-Between created for Ballet Pacifica in 2003, Por Ti choreographed for American Ballet Theater's summer workshop in 2003 and an original work for Pennsylvania Ballet Dancers in 2000.

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