Nora Gibson
norasgibson@gmail.com
Artist statement:
_ng_v (Nora Gibson) describes herself as a visualist, utilizing technology to expand the experience of the performing arts. Her foundation as a choreographer informs her work, using principles of composition, movement, and extensive knowledge of music, to elucidate ideas embodied in the artistic works presented. Gibson creates bespoke visual experiences that include programming audio-reactive projections for music concerts, choreographic works using movement sensors and visuals, scenic design for theatrical performance, and immersive interactive experiences as public art installations. Gibson specializes in the enhancement of classical music events. She has been commissioned by chamber music groups and soloists to create memorable and meaningful audio-reactive visuals to enhance the auditory experience.
Biography:
GIBSON IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF PHILLY AV, AN AUDIO VISUAL ARTIST COLLECTIVE THAT HAS PERFORMED AT THE ROTUNDA, VOX POPULI GALLERY, AND OTHER VENUES. THEIR FIRST YEAR OF FORMATION, THEY ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2019 PROJECT STREAM GRANT. Gibson trained at Baltimore School for the Arts, Chautauqua, and NCSA, and earned a BFA from Tisch, at NYU. In addition to performing in the genres of ballet and contemporary dance in MD, D.C., and NY, Gibson was selected to work from 2010-2013 with Lucinda Childs to perform various iconic 70s works as part of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage's Virtual Reconstruction project. Gibson has been invited as a resident artist in the US and abroad, including the nEW Festival in Philadelphia (2009-10), the CEC New Edge Residency (2009-10), the Ellen Forman Memorial Award (2011), the PHL/Poland Artist Exchange Residency (2012), the Choreographers on Campus Residency, funded through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (2014), Diepenheim Werkplaats (2016), Kaatsbaan (2017), and The Dance Visions Residency (2018). Gibson’s choreography has been presented by New Dance Alliance at Joyce SOHO, at Dance Place in Washington DC, Philadelphia Dance Projects, The Williams Center for the Arts, and by the Franklin Institute. Gibson’s work has received consistent critical acclaim, heralded by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "the most authoritative work in Philadelphia. . ." Gibson’s innovative approach to ballet garnered her an invitation to speak about her work for an audience of programmers and visual artists at MUTEK in Montreal in 2018. Gibson's work has been commissioned regularly by universities such as Bryn Mawr College, Georgian Court University, Alma College, and University of the Arts. Gibson is also a devoted teacher, and has taught ballet, physical theater, and composition in the US and abroad, including Temple University, University of the Arts, the Zawirowania Festival, and many other institutions.
CV:
Selected Awards, Grants, Residencies and Commissions:
2021 Franklin Institute, Multimedia Commission
2020 Audio-Reactive Visuals Commission from Bismuth Quartet
2019-20 MAAS Building Artist Residency - Generative Visuals and dance Installation
2019 Project Stream Grant (as part of Philly AV)
2019 Franklin Institute/Philadelphia Science Festival, Multimedia Commission
2018 Project Stream Grant recipient - Multimedia work
2018 Awarded the Dance Visions Residency
2017 University of the Arts, Choreographic Commission
2017 Alma College, Choreographic Commission
2017 Kaatsbaan Upstream, Choreographic Residency
2016 University of the Arts, Choreographic Commission
2016 Werkplaats Diepenheim, Multimedia residency
2016 Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Choreographic grant recipient
2015 Georgian Court University, Choreographic Commission
2014 Choreographers on Campus Initiative company residency at Lafayette College and
commission
2014 Philadelphia Dance Projects, Choreographic Commission
2014 Swimpony Residency
2013-14 Bryn Mawr College, Choreographic Commission
2012 Project Stream grant recipient
2012 Dance/USA Philadelphia Poland Artist Exchange, Residency
2011 Drexel University, Choreographic Commission
2011 Ellen Forman Memorial Award Recipient
2010-11 NEW Festival Residency
2009-10 New Edge Residency
Selected Works & Presenters
Selected Audio-Reactive Works (2020) Virtual Performance presented by NKB Presents: Creative Code Virtual Art Showcase, Feat. We Are Tundra & Intus
Audio-Reactive Vivaldi Concerto (2020) Vox Populi presents: Minute Fest, Virtual Performance
Glass No. 5 (2020) Audio-reactive visuals presented by Cherry Street Pier, commissioned by Bismuth Quartet (postponed)
Untitled (2019-21) Interactive Visualsl/Dance co-presented by Vox Populi Gallery and Philly AV; to be presented at the Performance Garage Gala April 2020; to be presented by The Franklin Institute in 2021 (postponed)
Dances by Brainwaves (2020) Multimedia Interactive Installation for dance, brainwaves, visuals, and movement-reactive sound presented by The MAAS Building Residency
Mandala (2019) Digital Dance for Dome presented by Franklin Institute/ Philadelphia Science Festival/ Fels Planetarium. Made in collaboration with Jason Haggerty (AUS)
Dark Energy (2019) Audio-Visual Performance presented by Fidget Space (2019) and The Rotunda (2019) made in collaboration with Dave Buschemeyer (music)
HUMAN (2018) Full-evening ballet premiering featuring original digital scenography
Neural Lace (2017) Ballet Commissioned by University of the Arts
N o t h i n g T h a t I s N o t T h e r e (2017) Full evening ballet presented in partnership with The Franklin Institute and Drexel Department of Physics, Materials Lab; workshop performance to be presented by Kaatsbaan.
A Mind of Winter (2016) Ballet Commissioned by University of the Arts
Ephemeral (2016) Full-Evening ballet made with support from The Netherlands America Foundation
Dark White (Dance for Camera)(2015) Film presented by Triskellion Arts Dance Film Lab Festival
2^57,885,161 - 1 (2014-15) ½ evening ballet commissioned with support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Choreographers on Campus Initiative (Philadelphia premiere: February 2015; re-presented in 2016 by The Williams Ctr for the Arts)
Temporal Objects (2014) Quintet presented by Philadelphia Dance Projects
Simple Restrictions (2014) Quartet presented by Bryn Mawr College and the Come Together Festival
Divergent Iteration (2013-14) Duet commissioned by Bryn Mawr College
Antarctica Preview Choreographic Video (dance for opera) (2013) presented by Fidget Space
Trinity (2011) Trio performed at The Painted Bride, Philadelphia, funded in part by New Stages for Dance, and presented by Appel Arts, NJ, in 2013
Corollary to Fugue in G Minor (2013) Duet Presented by Koresh Dance Company and Performance Garage
Fugue I Choreographic Dance for Camera (2012) Presented by Mascher Space, Philadelphia
Three Four Twelve (2012) Ensemble ballet presented by Drexel University, Philadelphia
Vested Souls (2010) Full evening ballet Co-presented by Dance Place, Washington D.C. in 2012, and presented by the CEC in Philadelphia in 2010 through funding from Dance Advance, a program of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.
Etude (2009) Ballet presented by the nEW Festival in Philadelphia in 2009, and Joyce SOHO, in NYC in 2010.
Selected Teaching Experience
2013 - present Ballet instructor; Instructor for devised physical theater, Temple University
(*recipient of Outstanding Teaching award 2018)
2017 - present Ballet instructor at Philadelphia Studio Ballet
2018-2019 Ballet instructor, Georgian Court University
2019 Ballet mistress for Yun-Yang Lin/Dancers company of Philadelphia
2013 Ballet instructor, University of the Arts
2012 Composition workshop at the Zawirowania Festival, Warsaw, Poland
2009-11 seasonally, Ballet instructor at the nEW Festival, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Praise for Gibson’s work:
“...Stunning” “If there was any amount of polished performance in the room that evening, it was the opening ballet with interactive visuals and choreography by Nora Gibson.” (Leslie Bush, thINKingDance)
“HUMAN EXPLORES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TECHNOLOGY’S COMPLICATION OF OBJECTIVITY AND OTHERNESS. IT IS A POSTHUMAN DANCE THAT USES THE LANGUAGE OF CLASSICAL BALLET TO IMAGINE NEW VISTAS, DRAWING ON THE STRENGTHS OF ITS DANCERS, CHOREOGRAPHY, SCORE, AND STAGING. . . GIBSON’S CREATIVE STAGING SERVED HUMAN’S THEME OF THE TENSIONS BETWEEN NATURAL AND UNNATURAL, HUMAN AND ARTIFICIAL.” (MELISSA STRONG, BROAD STREET REVIEW)
A MASH-UP OF DATA-DRIVEN INQUIRY AND AESTHETIC EXPLORATION, N O T H I N G T H A T I S N O T T H E R E IS A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT IN THE GUISE OF A BALLET PERFORMANCE – AS WELL AS VICE VERSA. . . . THE ABSTRACT BEAUTY OF [THIS BALLET] MAKES IT A FITTING PIECE FOR A SCIENCE FESTIVAL. THE VIEWER MUST BE CURIOUS AND ALERT TO WHAT’S HAPPENING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME OPEN ABOUT ITS SENSE AND SIGNIFICANCE. IT’S A DANCE I’D LIKE TO SEE AGAIN IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE ITS UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES FURTHER. (JANE FRIES, THE DANCE JOURNAL)
"...Ephemeral, her smartest, most accomplished work to date. She is truly someone to watch, a choreographer who shows a new and strangely poetic direction, a dreamer, a philosopher, a seer." (Merilyn Jackson, critic for Philadelphia Inquirer, on FB)
"[T]he most authoritative work in Philadelphia this year." "spellbinding" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
norasgibson@gmail.com
Artist statement:
_ng_v (Nora Gibson) describes herself as a visualist, utilizing technology to expand the experience of the performing arts. Her foundation as a choreographer informs her work, using principles of composition, movement, and extensive knowledge of music, to elucidate ideas embodied in the artistic works presented. Gibson creates bespoke visual experiences that include programming audio-reactive projections for music concerts, choreographic works using movement sensors and visuals, scenic design for theatrical performance, and immersive interactive experiences as public art installations. Gibson specializes in the enhancement of classical music events. She has been commissioned by chamber music groups and soloists to create memorable and meaningful audio-reactive visuals to enhance the auditory experience.
Biography:
GIBSON IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF PHILLY AV, AN AUDIO VISUAL ARTIST COLLECTIVE THAT HAS PERFORMED AT THE ROTUNDA, VOX POPULI GALLERY, AND OTHER VENUES. THEIR FIRST YEAR OF FORMATION, THEY ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2019 PROJECT STREAM GRANT. Gibson trained at Baltimore School for the Arts, Chautauqua, and NCSA, and earned a BFA from Tisch, at NYU. In addition to performing in the genres of ballet and contemporary dance in MD, D.C., and NY, Gibson was selected to work from 2010-2013 with Lucinda Childs to perform various iconic 70s works as part of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage's Virtual Reconstruction project. Gibson has been invited as a resident artist in the US and abroad, including the nEW Festival in Philadelphia (2009-10), the CEC New Edge Residency (2009-10), the Ellen Forman Memorial Award (2011), the PHL/Poland Artist Exchange Residency (2012), the Choreographers on Campus Residency, funded through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (2014), Diepenheim Werkplaats (2016), Kaatsbaan (2017), and The Dance Visions Residency (2018). Gibson’s choreography has been presented by New Dance Alliance at Joyce SOHO, at Dance Place in Washington DC, Philadelphia Dance Projects, The Williams Center for the Arts, and by the Franklin Institute. Gibson’s work has received consistent critical acclaim, heralded by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "the most authoritative work in Philadelphia. . ." Gibson’s innovative approach to ballet garnered her an invitation to speak about her work for an audience of programmers and visual artists at MUTEK in Montreal in 2018. Gibson's work has been commissioned regularly by universities such as Bryn Mawr College, Georgian Court University, Alma College, and University of the Arts. Gibson is also a devoted teacher, and has taught ballet, physical theater, and composition in the US and abroad, including Temple University, University of the Arts, the Zawirowania Festival, and many other institutions.
CV:
Selected Awards, Grants, Residencies and Commissions:
2021 Franklin Institute, Multimedia Commission
2020 Audio-Reactive Visuals Commission from Bismuth Quartet
2019-20 MAAS Building Artist Residency - Generative Visuals and dance Installation
2019 Project Stream Grant (as part of Philly AV)
2019 Franklin Institute/Philadelphia Science Festival, Multimedia Commission
2018 Project Stream Grant recipient - Multimedia work
2018 Awarded the Dance Visions Residency
2017 University of the Arts, Choreographic Commission
2017 Alma College, Choreographic Commission
2017 Kaatsbaan Upstream, Choreographic Residency
2016 University of the Arts, Choreographic Commission
2016 Werkplaats Diepenheim, Multimedia residency
2016 Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Choreographic grant recipient
2015 Georgian Court University, Choreographic Commission
2014 Choreographers on Campus Initiative company residency at Lafayette College and
commission
2014 Philadelphia Dance Projects, Choreographic Commission
2014 Swimpony Residency
2013-14 Bryn Mawr College, Choreographic Commission
2012 Project Stream grant recipient
2012 Dance/USA Philadelphia Poland Artist Exchange, Residency
2011 Drexel University, Choreographic Commission
2011 Ellen Forman Memorial Award Recipient
2010-11 NEW Festival Residency
2009-10 New Edge Residency
Selected Works & Presenters
Selected Audio-Reactive Works (2020) Virtual Performance presented by NKB Presents: Creative Code Virtual Art Showcase, Feat. We Are Tundra & Intus
Audio-Reactive Vivaldi Concerto (2020) Vox Populi presents: Minute Fest, Virtual Performance
Glass No. 5 (2020) Audio-reactive visuals presented by Cherry Street Pier, commissioned by Bismuth Quartet (postponed)
Untitled (2019-21) Interactive Visualsl/Dance co-presented by Vox Populi Gallery and Philly AV; to be presented at the Performance Garage Gala April 2020; to be presented by The Franklin Institute in 2021 (postponed)
Dances by Brainwaves (2020) Multimedia Interactive Installation for dance, brainwaves, visuals, and movement-reactive sound presented by The MAAS Building Residency
Mandala (2019) Digital Dance for Dome presented by Franklin Institute/ Philadelphia Science Festival/ Fels Planetarium. Made in collaboration with Jason Haggerty (AUS)
Dark Energy (2019) Audio-Visual Performance presented by Fidget Space (2019) and The Rotunda (2019) made in collaboration with Dave Buschemeyer (music)
HUMAN (2018) Full-evening ballet premiering featuring original digital scenography
Neural Lace (2017) Ballet Commissioned by University of the Arts
N o t h i n g T h a t I s N o t T h e r e (2017) Full evening ballet presented in partnership with The Franklin Institute and Drexel Department of Physics, Materials Lab; workshop performance to be presented by Kaatsbaan.
A Mind of Winter (2016) Ballet Commissioned by University of the Arts
Ephemeral (2016) Full-Evening ballet made with support from The Netherlands America Foundation
Dark White (Dance for Camera)(2015) Film presented by Triskellion Arts Dance Film Lab Festival
2^57,885,161 - 1 (2014-15) ½ evening ballet commissioned with support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Choreographers on Campus Initiative (Philadelphia premiere: February 2015; re-presented in 2016 by The Williams Ctr for the Arts)
Temporal Objects (2014) Quintet presented by Philadelphia Dance Projects
Simple Restrictions (2014) Quartet presented by Bryn Mawr College and the Come Together Festival
Divergent Iteration (2013-14) Duet commissioned by Bryn Mawr College
Antarctica Preview Choreographic Video (dance for opera) (2013) presented by Fidget Space
Trinity (2011) Trio performed at The Painted Bride, Philadelphia, funded in part by New Stages for Dance, and presented by Appel Arts, NJ, in 2013
Corollary to Fugue in G Minor (2013) Duet Presented by Koresh Dance Company and Performance Garage
Fugue I Choreographic Dance for Camera (2012) Presented by Mascher Space, Philadelphia
Three Four Twelve (2012) Ensemble ballet presented by Drexel University, Philadelphia
Vested Souls (2010) Full evening ballet Co-presented by Dance Place, Washington D.C. in 2012, and presented by the CEC in Philadelphia in 2010 through funding from Dance Advance, a program of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.
Etude (2009) Ballet presented by the nEW Festival in Philadelphia in 2009, and Joyce SOHO, in NYC in 2010.
Selected Teaching Experience
2013 - present Ballet instructor; Instructor for devised physical theater, Temple University
(*recipient of Outstanding Teaching award 2018)
2017 - present Ballet instructor at Philadelphia Studio Ballet
2018-2019 Ballet instructor, Georgian Court University
2019 Ballet mistress for Yun-Yang Lin/Dancers company of Philadelphia
2013 Ballet instructor, University of the Arts
2012 Composition workshop at the Zawirowania Festival, Warsaw, Poland
2009-11 seasonally, Ballet instructor at the nEW Festival, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Praise for Gibson’s work:
“...Stunning” “If there was any amount of polished performance in the room that evening, it was the opening ballet with interactive visuals and choreography by Nora Gibson.” (Leslie Bush, thINKingDance)
“HUMAN EXPLORES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TECHNOLOGY’S COMPLICATION OF OBJECTIVITY AND OTHERNESS. IT IS A POSTHUMAN DANCE THAT USES THE LANGUAGE OF CLASSICAL BALLET TO IMAGINE NEW VISTAS, DRAWING ON THE STRENGTHS OF ITS DANCERS, CHOREOGRAPHY, SCORE, AND STAGING. . . GIBSON’S CREATIVE STAGING SERVED HUMAN’S THEME OF THE TENSIONS BETWEEN NATURAL AND UNNATURAL, HUMAN AND ARTIFICIAL.” (MELISSA STRONG, BROAD STREET REVIEW)
A MASH-UP OF DATA-DRIVEN INQUIRY AND AESTHETIC EXPLORATION, N O T H I N G T H A T I S N O T T H E R E IS A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT IN THE GUISE OF A BALLET PERFORMANCE – AS WELL AS VICE VERSA. . . . THE ABSTRACT BEAUTY OF [THIS BALLET] MAKES IT A FITTING PIECE FOR A SCIENCE FESTIVAL. THE VIEWER MUST BE CURIOUS AND ALERT TO WHAT’S HAPPENING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME OPEN ABOUT ITS SENSE AND SIGNIFICANCE. IT’S A DANCE I’D LIKE TO SEE AGAIN IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE ITS UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES FURTHER. (JANE FRIES, THE DANCE JOURNAL)
"...Ephemeral, her smartest, most accomplished work to date. She is truly someone to watch, a choreographer who shows a new and strangely poetic direction, a dreamer, a philosopher, a seer." (Merilyn Jackson, critic for Philadelphia Inquirer, on FB)
"[T]he most authoritative work in Philadelphia this year." "spellbinding" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)