Introducing Blakeley White McGuire

Introducing Blakeley White McGuire

Blakeley White-McGuire (MFAIA) born and raised in South Louisiana, U.S.A., is a New York-based dancer/choreographer/writer/educator and interdisciplinary artist critically acclaimed as a former Principal dancer and present official Regisseur of repertory with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Her current creative process creates contemporary dance theater and site-specific performative works through movement research including with Movement Migration and C.A.V.E.S. Project Entre El Cuerpo y La Naturaleza, an international collaborative interrogating the relationship between art, nature, and the human body.
Her productions have been commissioned by several transformative presenters including the Dancing Human Rights Festival, Oxford, UK; The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA Jacob’s Pillow’s INSIDE/ OUT, USA; American Dance Festival, USA; Movement Migration (International) and Ballet Metropolitano, Colombia, SA.
Blakeley White-McGuire is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance at Hunter College and The Ailey/Fordham Professional Division and is the author of several published works including her first book, “The Martha Graham Dance Company: House of the Pelvic Truth.
Who makes up your art circle?
My art circle is a growing international community of dancers, audiences, musicians,
designers, community leaders and culture bearers who are in various stages of their lives
and who enter the realm of art from differing perspectives. My circle includes people whom I
actively dance and create with, and also my ancestors and artists who have left their indelible
mark on our world.
How do you expand your art circle?
My art circle expands when I peek outside of what I think I already know. Attending events,
performances, exhibitions, parties, and experiencing the active life of Art and Artists inspires
me to create and connect.
Discipline and repetition are important tools for a dancer, these are the elements of craft and
virtuosity. At the same time, the dancer and creative artist (which is how I identify) can really
only enter the creative state through a fresh impulse, and that impulse needs to have a
spark. For me, the spark comes from reading, viewing visual art, listening and playing live
music, experimenting with new technologies and dancing in community.
My teaching and learning practice also expands my art circle exponentially and keeps me in
touch with how people’s bodies are working contemporaneously.

What value do you see in having a creative community?
Creative community is my raison d’être (reason for being). My art (dancing, designing,
writing, teaching) is a catalyst to connect with people. There is no art without a community in
which to share it.
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?

I am a collaborative artist by nature. Even in a solo work or in writing; whether in person,
virtually or through visual art and objects, I am always including as many people as I can to
come on the adventure with me. I have to constantly ask myself, “why am I doing…?” and
“who is my audience?”
My first art community and audience was my family. They were and are my first inspiration.
My family allowed me to teach them about my dance world; about the life I was creating
through dancing. The attention and affirmation which they gave to me as a young artist
developed my confidence to go out into an unknown world of dance and art. In turn, new
worlds were also opened to them through my interpretive lens. This is how Art works.
After decades of living and working as an international artist in a world that is at times hostile
towards artists, I know that my work, my art shines as an example for people who may need
inspiration. That is important to me because I have received so much inspiration from the
world and from artists who showed me what is possible. – Blakeley
Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund managed by Lafayette Travel
C.A.V.E.S. Project/entre el cuerpo y la naturaleza
(between the body and nature)
ARTISTIC MISSION STATEMENT
C.A.V.E.S. Project/entre el cuerpo y la naturaleza is a performance-based platform centered in
spaces both inside and outside of traditional theater. We create diverse ecosystems of live
performance including movement languages, music, theater and visual art. In our original
repertory we play and explore themes of care, trust, sensuality and vulnerability developed
from our lived experiences in both North and South American Nature and cultures.
As creative artists we continue to build upon our internationally celebrated careers within the
iconic modern dance lineages of Martha Graham, José Limón and Pina Bausch, and also
transcend the genre through innovation and development of new creative processes. Our
commitment to collaboration and to live performance is vital. C.A.V.E.S. Project/entre el cuerpo y la naturaleza received the 2023 O’Donnell/Green Grant for Dance and Music as well as commissions from ID Studio, Ballet Metropolitano de Medellín, Comfama Medellín, University of Louisiana, Buglisi Dance Theater, Movement Migration, NYC Office of Arts and Speci Projects and Fei Tian College. At the heart of our work is a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access across international barriers; to creating art and conversation across borders and cultures. C.A.V.E.S. Compassion in Art making, Vulnerability in collaboration, Emotion in creating and Sensuality in performance.