Company Profile
Gibney Company, led by Artistic Director Gina Gibney and Director Gilbert T Small II, commissions and performs works by renowned and emerging choreographers from New York and around the world who are committed to exploring connections between the rigorous, often superhuman physicality of contemporary dance alongside responsive, humanistic storytelling. Presenting a broad range of aesthetics and techniques, Gibney Company has an unrelenting focus on artistic excellence and social integrity.
In January 2020, Gibney received a generous lead gift to support the transformation of its professional dance company. In the 2020-2021 season, the Company doubled in size and made its debut at The Joyce Theater. In the 2022-2023 season, the Company commissioned and premiered Ghost Town by Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond at its second season at The Joyce Theater; restaged and premiered Ohad Naharin’s work YAG 2022 at New York Live Arts; embarked on an eight city U.S. tour including performances at DANCECleveland and TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND; and premiered Johan Inger’s Bliss at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival. The 2023-2024 season features one new commission by the choreographic team of Jermaine Spivey and Spenser Theberge; restaging of two works by Twyla Tharp, The Fugue and Bach Duet; featured performance of Sonya’s Tayeh’s OH COURAGE! at the 20th Fall for Dance Festival; and international tour stops at prestigious festivals including Fall for Dance North in Toronto, Holland Dance Festival in the Netherlands, and Dance Victoria in British Columbia. The Company performed at The Joyce Theater in May 2024, and travels to three prestigious venues this summer: Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, Chautauqua Institution and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Since its expansion, the Company has commissioned ten new works from a wide range of choreographers including Rena Butler, Mthuthuzeli November, Alan Lucien Øyen, Gustavo Ramiriez Sansano, Jermaine Spivey and Spenser Theberge, Sonya Tayeh, Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond (Out Innerspace), and Yue Yin; and performed acclaimed repertory by Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, Ohad Naharin and Twyla Tharp.
Gibney Company’s model for a 21st century dance company supports sustainable careers for dancers and healthy working relationships for artists and collaborators. The company members, known as 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.
Gina Gibney
Founder, CEO and Artistic Director
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. Gina Gibney is known for pioneering innovative new programs which connect the arts with the broader community. Her work has impacted the lives of thousands of domestic violence survivors through programs like Move to Move Beyond, an evidence-based program that offers the transformative power of movement to survivors of gender-based violence and their families. Her Moving Toward Justice incubator uses art as a tool for activism and social impact with a focus on entrepreneurship, social engagement, and mobilization alongside artistry. Other innovative programs include the Dance in Process (DiP) Residency. One of the first programs of its kind, DiP provides extensive, holistic support for mid-career New York-based dance artists who are in the middle stages of work on a new project.
In 2008, Gina Gibney was inducted into the Vanity Fair Hall of Fame for “making art and taking action.” She has served as a Trustee of the national dance advocacy organization Dance/USA and received its Ernie Award in 2017 in recognition of her role as a changemaker in the field. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Dance/NYC and is a member of The Women’s Forum of New York. She was included in Dance Magazine’s 2017 list of The Most Influential People in Dance Today and was named to the Out100 2016 list of influential members of the LGBT community. In 2018 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, Case Western Reserve University, and in 2019 was awarded the Floria Lasky Award from the Jerome Robbins Foundation and the Plus Factor Award from the string quartet ETHEL. Gina Gibney is a frequent panelist and speaker on topics of dance, entrepreneurship, and arts-community partnerships. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Gilbert T Small II
Gibney Company Director
Gilbert T Small II (he/him) joined Gibney Company in 2020 as Curatorial Director of Training and Company Rehearsal Director and was promoted to Company Director in 2022. He is a mentor to many emerging artists in New York and abroad and serves as guest faculty for institutions internationally, cultivating relationships and connections across many demographics and communities. Previously, Small was a leading artist with the internationally acclaimed Ballet British Columbia under the leadership of Emily Molnar. During his ten years with the company, he worked with choreographers William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Emily Molnar, and Cayetano Soto, and others, and took on the role of Rehearsal Director for the company’s fall 2017 season. He received a Bachelor of Fine Art 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. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Small began his formal training at the Baltimore School for the Arts.