Blakeley White-McGuire

Described by Gia Kourlas of the New York Times as having a "powerful technique and dramatic instinct with an appealing modern spunk",[1] White-McGuire has received widespread critical acclaim as a Graham dancer.

[2][3][4][5][6] Raised in southern Louisiana, in her youth White-McGuire participated in community dance programs studying ballet, jazz, and tap, and giving performances at seasonal outdoor festivals and Mardi Gras balls.

She spent the next six years performing with choreographers including Jacqulyn Buglisi, Martha Clarke, Seán Curran, Pascal Rioult, and the Ballet at Metropolitan Opera.

During her time with the company she performed all of the major Graham roles - including the Empress in Every Soul is a Circus,[10] The Bride in Appalachian Spring,[11] The Woman in Red in Diversion of Angels,[12] Ariadne in Errand Into The Maze,[13] the title role in Phaedra, The Chosen One in Graham's The Rite of Spring,[14] The Soloist in Satyric Festival Song,[15] Deep Song,[16] Sketches from Chronicle,[17][18] The Frontier Woman in Frontier,[19] Medea in Cave of The Heart,[20] and Jocasta in Night Journey[21] - in the repertoire, had original work set on her by Larry Keigwin, Luca Veggetti, Nacho Duato, Richard Move, Robert Wilson, Bulayarang Pagarlava, and Anne Bogart/SITI Company,[22] and led the company on numerous tours across the country and abroad.

[23] Some of her honours from this time include winning the Premio Positano Leonide Massine prize for Contemporary Dance Performance from the Italian government,[24] inspiring and dancing as the model for doodler Mike Dutton's and animator Ryan Woodward's Google Doodle honouring Martha Graham's 117th birthday,[25] recreating Graham's lost solo Imperial Gesture[26] and leading role in Notes for a Voyage,[27] receiving the Italian International Career Achievement Award from Antonio Fini, and being selected as one of the best performers of 2011,[28] 2012,[29] and 2013[30] by Wendy Perron for Dance Magazine.