gleich dances (New York City/London, UK) was founded in 1996 by choreographer Julia K. Gleich and is the organization for the creative, collaborative, and educational work of choreographer, teacher, and director Julia K. Gleich.
In a clash of the classical and contemporary Gleich blends ballet with the weight and truth of pedestrian life to create movements and narratives that have clarity, simplicity, direction and intent. Gleich's personal approach to the classical form draws on her eclectic career in ballet, with studies in folk dance, musical theater, ballroom, modern dance and contemporary movement.
In this aesthetic no one technique takes precedence when dances are created. Whether it be descriptive or abstract, Gleich disconnects the technique from history, modifying the preparation or the finish, subjecting the movement to a new context, presenting the essence, the plainness, the pure form. Her work has been described as quirky and "head-y" (Elizabeth Zimmer, Village Voice).
The Company has received critical acclaim performing regularly for audiences in New York City and throughout the United States. In 2003, the company moved to the UK, where Gleich is on faculty at the LABAN Centre and the Head of Choreography at London Studio Centre. Gleich and her company return to the United States several times a year.
