About the Event

Tune into this virtual event for an engaging talk with Gibney Company’s artistic director, Gina Gibney, and company director, Gilbert T Small II, on the intersection of dance, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. Gibney Company’s model for a 21st-century dance company supports sustainable careers for dancers and healthy working relationships for artists and collaborators. Company members are full-time artistic associates who contribute not only as impeccable performing artists but also as activists and cultural entrepreneurs. The artistic associates advance the quality of the organization’s artistry through performance and deepen its community engagement through Moving Toward Justice Fellowships designed to address social issues and inequities in the dance field.

About Gina Gibney

Gina Gibney, a nationally recognized leader and entrepreneur in the field of arts and social justice, is the founder, director, and CEO of Gibney, a New York City-based arts organization dedicated to dance and social action. With a belief in the vast potential of movement, creativity, and performance to effect personal change and social transformation, Gina Gibney established the Gibney organization in Manhattan in 1991. Today, Gibney’s presenting and training fellowship and residency programs have served and supported thousands of New York City artists and audiences. Community outreach programs have impacted hundreds of lives, especially those who have been impacted by domestic violence, economic inequality, and workforce development. Gibney Company has grown from a small troupe of dancers presenting Gina Gibney’s choreography into a critically acclaimed internationally touring contemporary dance company, dedicated to commissioning and presenting today’s most compelling choreographers. Gibney operates two New York City locations—280 Broadway near City Hall and 890 Broadway above Union Square—encompassing 23 studios and five performing spaces that serve as a nexus for a diverse and expansive artistic community.  

About Gilbert T Small II

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Gilbert T Small II’s formal training started at the Baltimore School for the Arts. He received his bachelor of fine arts from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in 2009. While at Purchase, he studied abroad at Codarts in Rotterdam, an opportunity that shifted his perspective, pushing him to investigate and explore the multifaceted nature of the art form. Small was a leading artist with the internationally acclaimed Ballet British Columbia under the leadership of Emily Molnar. During his 10 years with the company, he worked with choreographers like William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Emily Molnar, and Cayetano Soto. As a senior artist with Ballet BC, he was asked to take on the role of rehearsal director for the company’s fall 2017 season. Small is a mentor to many emerging artists in the United States and abroad and serves as guest faculty for institutions internationally, cultivating relationships, and connections across many demographics and communities. 

Dance Series Sponsors 

Betty Hum and Alan Yudell and Karen and John Voris