Gwendolyn Hope Gussman is a director, choreographer, performer, movement teacher, and generative artist based between New York City (Ancestral Lenape homelands) and Denver, Colorado (Ancestral Lands of Ute, Cheyanne and Arapaho peoples). In 2016, she founded HOLDTIGHT, an interdisciplinary performance art company. Learn more about her work with HOLDTIGHT here.

Gussman graduated in 2014 with a BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Gussman’s work has been produced and presented by institutions including National Sawdust, the cell theatre, James Madison University, Seaside Dance Festival, Nimbus DanceWorks Offline Series, Denver School of the Arts, and YourMove Festival.

Gussman has been awarded residencies with The Cell Theatre in NYC (2020-2022), MOVE! Arts Space in Colorado (2019), Nimbus DanceWorks (2018), and in 2021, was named a Toulmin Creator through the support of National Sawdust, Center for Ballet and the Arts, and The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Her work has been featured in press including The Dance Enthusiast, The Denver Post, Eye on Dance, Interludes, 303 Magazine, Colorado Public Radio’s ‘Colorado Matters’, No Proscenium, Westword, The Stewardship Report, Presenting Denver, and offoffoff.

She has collaborated, performed, and worked on both live and film projects  with artists such as Lisel (Eliza Bagg), Johnny Butler, The Warp Trio, Jett Kwong, Trevor New, Hallie Spoor, and Meredith Rose.

As a performing artist, Gussman has worked with Shen Wei Dance Arts, Sean Curran Company, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Vanessa Walters ‘Ripening’, Heidi Latsky, Control Group Productions, Cleo Parker Robinson, Roger C. Jeffrey, Comedian Amy Sedaris, Director Daniel Fish, Director Ashley Tata, among others. Her performance career has included venues and festivals such as The Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, MASS MoCa, Stanislavsky Theater (Moscow), Teatro Arcimboldi (Milan), Shanghai Cultural Square Theater, Teatro Comunale Modena, American Dance Festival, Spoleto Festival, Theater Olympics Festival (Beijing), Off The Grid Festival, and many others. 

Gussman has accepted positions as a guest teacher and choreographer for Yale University, New York University, Denver School of the Arts, Opening Act (NYC), Steps Ahead (NYC), BOUNCE Festival (NYC), and MOVE! (Denver).

Gussman grew up in Denver, Colorado where she graduated from Denver School of the Arts as a Dance Major. She spent ages 4-18 training at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and in her junior/senior year of High School, apprenticed with the main company.

In addition, Gussman has been teaching Pilates since 2015 and is honored to maintain a thriving private practice of Pilates/Somatics/Yoga students. 

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“I create interdisciplinary experiential performance art that explores the implicit and explicit effects of climate change on the human psyche. My primary practice includes blending movement, vocalization, storytelling, and participatory set design to engage audiences in a multi-sensorial and deeply considered manner. I am motivated by the urgency of climate change and create work in support of shifting the needle towards positive action and healing. I merge live performance with immersive experiences; together, these elements elicit questions, conversations, interconnection, and the exploration of deep grief and joy – a catalyst for individual growth, communal healing, and radical forward-thinking change.”