Christopher Gillis (February 26, 1951 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

– August 7, 1993 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) was an important gay male dancer and choreographer and member of the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of ...

Early life and career

Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of the late Gene Gillis, a US Olympic skier, and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier who competed in the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (german: V. Olympische Winterspiele; french: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; it, V Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz ...

along with her twin sister Rhoda. His sister,

Margie Gillis Margie Gillis (born July 9, 1953) is a Canadian dancer and choreographer. Gillis has been creating original works of modern dance for over thirty-five years. Her repertoire includes more than one hundred pieces, which she performs as solos, duet ...

, is also a dancer and choreographer; they were dance partners from childhood and collaborated on numerous shows. His brother,

Jere Gillis Jere Alan Gillis (born January 18, 1957) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player, actor and stuntman. Background Gillis was born in Bend, Oregon and raised in Montreal, the son of skier Gene Gillis (a member of the Ame ...

, played professional hockey from 1977 to 1987 for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

, and the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

. Gillis studied with

Finis Jhung Finis Jhung (born May 27, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, dance company founder and dance teacher. Early life Jhung was born on May 27, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His multiracial heritage includes Korean, Scottish and English ancestors. The ...

, with Paul Taylor and with choreographers May O'Donnell and Norman Walker. He performed with

José Limón José Arcadio Limón (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972) was a dancer and choreographer from Mexico and who developed what is now known as 'Limón technique'. In the 1940s, he founded the José Limón Dance Company (now the Limón Dan ...

's company. He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1976 in

. He lived and worked in New York for the next seventeen years. He was designated Taylor's heir-apparent.glbtq >> arts >> Taylor, Paul
His works have been performed by the Paul Taylor company, the

White Oak Dance Project White Oak Dance Project was a dance company founded in 1990 by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris. The company took the name of the animal preservation and land plantation owned by philanthropist and Baryshnikov friend Howard Gilman. Gilman buil ...

and the Fairfax Ballet. He died from AIDS complications at the age of 42.

Works

As choreographer

*Ne Me Quitte Pas 1993 *Landscape 1993 *Ghost Stories (around 1985?) *Andalusian Green 1992 *Icarus At Night 1991 *Curbs & Corridors 1990 *Luvs Alphabet 1989 *Spell It Out 1988 *Paean 1987 *VeRS La Glace 1986 *Thin Ice 1982

As dancer

*Fact and Fancy 3 Epitaphs & All / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1991 *Of Bright & Blue Birds & the Gala Sun 1990 *The Sorcerer's Sofa / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1989 *Minikin Fair / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1989 *Speaking in Tongues / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1988 *Danbury Mix / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1988 *Counterswarm / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1988 *Brandenburgs / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1988 *Syzygy / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1987 *Kith and Kin / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1987 *A Musical Offering / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1986 *Ab Ovo Usque Ad Mala (From Soup to Nuts) / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1986 *Roses / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1985 *Byzantium / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1984 *Equinox / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1983 *Snow White / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1983 *Sunset / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1983 *Mecuric Tidings / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1982 *Lost, Found and Lost / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1981 *House of Cards / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1981 *Arden Court / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1981 *Le Sacre du Printemps (the Rehearsal) / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1980 *Profiles / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1979 *Nightshade / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1979 *Diggity / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1978 *Airs / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1978 *Aphrodisiamania / choreographed by Paul Taylor 1977 *Dust / choreographed by Paul Taylor) 1977 *Images / choreographed by Paul Taylor) 1977 *Polaris / choreographed by Paul Taylor) 1976 *Cloven Kingdom / choreographed by Paul Taylor) 1976

Film

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

Resources

Memorial Service