Gregory Dawson

Gregory founded dawsondancesf in 2007 as an outlet for his choreographic vision. With movement that is raw and deliberate, Gregory uses the classical vernacular to push choreographic boundaries in unpredictable ways. Balancing grace with highly kinetic motion, he allows his dancers to utilize and showcase every ounce of their animal energy. The company debuted at the California State Summer School for the Arts in Valencia, CA and has since performed at such Bay Area venues as the Black Choreographer’s Festival, Bayview Opera House, Zaccho Dance Theatre, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Grey Area SF, Dance Mission Theater, Z Space, Pixar Studios, and the BAN7 Festival. The company has a regular summer residency at CSSSA and has also been presented at Baruch College in New York.

Gregory frequently works with jazz musician, educator, and prolific producer Richard Howell. In 2015 “bird’s eye view,” a collaboration with the Richard Howell Quintet, received an Isadora Duncan Award. Other collaborations with Howell include “In This Moment” (2014) and “MANGAKU” (2018). In 2015 Gregory presented “Intima,” a collaboration with Al’myra Communications and visual artist Ali Kaf, and in 2016 premiered “Lovechild” in a shared evening with Sidra Bell NY. In 2017 Gregory’s “Les Vérités” was presented by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. That same year the company premiered “RITE 17,” Gregory’s reimagining of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

This fall Gregory will be filming excerpts of his latest work “Ungesehen,” which will premiere as a part of BalletX’s upcoming film series. In November dawsondancesf will return to the studio to create a new dance for film, as well as material for their 2021 spring season.