Legacy Project
© Cylla von Tiedemann
© Dorian Nuskind-Oder
An exchange based on excellence, devoted to transmitting Margie’s concepts of creation, teaching and humanitarian vision.
The Legacy Project is an initiative dedicated to ensuring the continuity of Margie Gillis’ creative history. Its mandate is to protect and promote Margie’s legacy through sharing with the next generation of dance artists. Participants are encouraged to communicate these concepts, while incorporating their own artistic vision, to ensure that the work remains relevant.
Creation and Mentoring: Margie teaches her repertoire, creates new works and mentors selected dance artists.
Teaching: Participants learn Margie’s unique methods of teaching and are encouraged to develop their own personal approaches.
Performance Technique: Participants learn how to deepen their own performance technique through observation, classes and workshops.
Performances: Accompanied by dancers chosen from among project participants, Margie brings to the stage a performance consisting of works from her repertoire as well as new creations.
Conflict Transformation: Margie has been developing a powerful and forward-thinking method of Conflict Transformation through dance – the subject of several successful workshops and a book (The Choreography of Resolution). With a select group of dancers, who are committed to social change, Margie continues to work on this endeavour as a final component to the Legacy Project.
Honorary Board
Margaret Atwood, CC, OOnt, FRSC – Poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist and environmental activist
Peter Boneham, CM – Choreographer, teacher and mentor
The late Leonard Cohen, CC, GOQ – Singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist
Irene Dowd – Neuromuscular educator, teacher and choreographer
Eleanor Duckworth – Teacher, teacher educator, educational theorist, author and dancer
Paul-André Fortier, OC – Artistic director and founder, Fortier Danse-Création
Daniel Jackson – Choreographer, co-founder of Montréal Danse, and longtime artistic adviser
Barbara Laskin – Cultural executive, governance and communications consultant and Arts Advocate
Michelle Lebaron – Professor of Law, Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, dispute resolution scholar and author
Elizabeth May, OC, MP – Environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament
Emily Molnar – Artistic director, Ballet BC, artistic director of dance, the Banff Centre
The late Jessye Norman – Grammy award-winning opera singer and recitalist
Tom Oppenheim – Artistic director and president, Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Thomas Atum O’Kane, PhD – Founder of the Spiritual Guidance School
Tim Plumptre – President, Tim Plumptre & Assoc. Inc., and founder of Institute on Governance
Linda Rabin – Somatic and movement educator, facilitator of personal, creative and performance process and co-founder of École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal
Janis Sarra – Distinguished Professor and Professor of Law, University of British Columbia
Paul Taylor – Artistic director and founder Paul Taylor Dance Company
Veronica Tennant, CC – Prima Ballerina, director/producer, filmmaker and author
Alexandra Wells – Founder and artistic director of Springboard Danse Montréal, concept and artistic director, Movement Invention Project, faculty at The Juilliard School