Jodie Gates, Artistic Director and Founder, Laguna Dance Festival
Ms. Gates is a thirty-year veteran in the dance field, as a director, choreographer, educator, dancer and producer.
Currently she is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of California, Irvine, and recently honored by the American Association of University Women for her achievement in the arts. In 2009, American Ballet Theatre awarded her for her choreographic excellence, and was named the Altria/ABT Fellow, and in 2010 as director and founder of the Laguna Dance Festival, she and the organization were noted for being one of the top ten events that have shaped the Orange County arts scene. Jodie Gates is a multi-talented artist and is internationally recognized as a leader in the dance world.
She has danced as a principal ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and as an international guest artist. She has most recently choreographed ballets for Staatsballett Berlin in Germany, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, American Ballet Theatre II, CorbinDances, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, BalletX, Washington Ballet, and several other companies nationally. She is also responsible for teaching, staging and producing William Forsythe’s ballet’s world-wide including productions at Paris Opera Ballet, Scottish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Opera Ballet, Teatro La Scala, Houston Ballet, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
She has been featured as a dancer in two television programs from the PBS Great Performance series and can be seen on video in Billboards, the Joffrey Ballet’s rock-ballet by the musical artist Prince. Jodie has also appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno, a special presentation at the White House, and has been featured at several international festivals and in numerous television events.
She has danced as a principal ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and as an international guest artist. She has most recently choreographed ballets for Staatsballett Berlin in Germany, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, American Ballet Theatre II, CorbinDances, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, BalletX, Washington Ballet, and several other companies nationally. She is also responsible for teaching, staging and producing William Forsythe’s ballet’s world-wide including productions at Paris Opera Ballet, Scottish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Opera Ballet, Teatro La Scala, Houston Ballet, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
She has toured internationally as a choreographer, master teacher and artist throughout North and South America, Mexico, Russia, Asia, Australia and Europe.
www.jodiegates.com