Margie Gillis
A Canadian dance pioneer whose emotionally raw, solo performances explore the wilderness of the human spirit with fearless physicality.
Born 1953 (age 73)·Canadian choreographer and dancer·Birthday: July 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Margie Gillis is not a traditional choreographer; she is a force of nature who uses movement as a direct line to emotion. Emerging in the 1970s, she forged a path distinct from large dance companies, dedicating herself primarily to the profound intimacy of solo work. Her performances are volcanic, blending technical precision with a startling vulnerability that can swing from joy to despair in a single gesture. For over four decades, she has built a vast repertoire of over a hundred original pieces, touring them globally from major stages to remote communities. Gillis's impact extends beyond performance; she is a revered teacher and advocate, founding the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation to support the creation and preservation of her art form, ensuring its transmission to new generations.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Margie was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Margie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Margie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and maintains a singular repertoire of over 100 original solo and ensemble works, performed worldwide for more than 45 years.
- Founded the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation to archive her work and foster the next generation of dance artists through mentorship.
- Was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her transformative contributions to modern dance as an artist and ambassador.
- Received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honor in the field.
Did You Know?
Her brother is Christopher Gillis, a celebrated dancer and longtime member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
She began studying dance at the age of six with a teacher who was a student of the pioneering modern dancer Martha Graham.
Gillis is known for performing barefoot, emphasizing a grounded, organic connection to the stage.
She has taught and performed in diverse locations including China, Brazil, and throughout Europe, as well as across Canada.
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”
