Rebecca Gual

Bio

Immersed in studies of contemporary and classical dance forms, Rebecca Gual (she/her) is a choreographer, interdisciplinary performer, arts-focused project manager, and burgeoning producer. Born and raised in Queens, New York, she is proudly of Jamaican and Puerto Rican descent. Gual began her dance training at The Ailey School and continued her education at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and Ballet Hispánico. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). 

As a performer, she has worked with Ligia Lewis (Sensations 1 | This Interior), Jessica Lang (Bluebird, The Green Table), Colin Connor (Torch), Katherine Morales (Most People), Danielle Kipnis (Matter of Facts), Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone (Pitch Dark No. 1, The Garden for Forking Paths), Lisa D. Long (Totem), Alexis Zaccarello (Peculiar Ochre: Lines, Circles and Other Shapes), Tarren Johnson (Lessons in Composing Chaos), Zoe Scofield (Eleven), Regina Nejman (Beautiful Figure), Dolly Sfeir (Beveled), Karesia Batan (Passageways), Joan Bradford (Stairs), Jacqui Dugal (Tension of the Release), Molly Gorin (Having A Ball), Sydnie L. Mosley (PURPLE: A Ritual in Nine Spells), Morgaine de Leonardis (Opening Reception), Oroma Elewa (Crushed Guava Leaves) and as a member of The Syndicate of Initiative (True Voyage), a non-hierarchical collaborative performance collective. 

As a choreographer, Gual has collaborated with vocalists, theater directors, composers, filmmakers, and visual artists. Her choreographic work has been presented at The Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT), SMUSH Gallery, Ailey/Citigroup Theater, Queens Museum, LIC Arts Open, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!), and Triskelion Arts. BalaSole Dance Company, WaxWorks, and Pepatián have previously commissioned Gual’s works. Rebecca was a 2021 artist in residence at Bethany Arts Community and a 2021-2022 artist in residence through the Dance Your Future: Artist & Mentor Collaborative Residency with Pepatián & BAAD!

Since 2018, Gual has served as the Rentals Manager at CPR — Center for Performance Research. Under the direction of Alexandra Rosenberg, she provides low-cost space rentals to performance artists of any métier and running point, supports the logistical realities of operating flexible-use studios, and secures sustainable funding from various generous supporters. She has previously held administrative positions at A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, UOVO, Gibney, and Roads & Kingdoms.

Gual recently joined The Creature, a dance theater company based in Brooklyn, NY, creating immersive performance works. Comprised of dancers, musicians, and visual artists, The Creature sustains a hybrid performance medium utilizing the voice, the body, and unique perspectives of the world. Directed by ChristinaNoel Reaves, their newest work will premiere in Fall 2024.

Gual has opened up a new facet of her practice: teaching dancers of all ages. At Creature Space, the home of The Creature in Brooklyn, NY, Gual mentors and coaches young artists from 4 to 17 years old through creative expression and diversifying entry points to embodied artistic practice. She has also previously created an evening-length dance work with The Dance Company of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont.

Notable project management credits include Between the Future Past, by Layqa Nuna Yawar, a 350-foot mural in residence at the Newark International Airport Arrivals Hall, celebrating the abundant diversity of Newark, New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area. Commissioned by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and Munich Airport NJ, in partnership with the Public Art Fund, Gual project managed the production of this work from inception to completion.

Rebecca is intent on giving back to the creative community she champions. As a core member of the Artists of Color Council (AoCC) at Movement Research, she activates initiatives to increase visibility, opportunities, and engagement with resources for artists of color within the field. Gual also works as a Project Facilitator with Pepatián: Bronx Arts ColLABorative, providing strategic planning and support for the cohort of the Dancing Futures Residency.

She is based in West New York, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from her native New York City.

Artist Statement

Bodies can be of the moment and guardians of the past. They contain highways of flowing information unbeknownst to their inhabitants. A signal is sent, a choice is made, and the body follows suit. I aim to probe the human form's choices, realities, and instincts, along with the labor of basing autonomy on societal roles. The connections between these expressions aim to answer many questions I'm interested in exploring. The most important of all: Can one embody an archive of the physical phenomena of movement?

My process initiates a collective memory — an ecosystem of layered memories built upon each other and now shared. The moment I begin a new work, this new body develops. This body has memory, bones, and topography to define. It’s shared physically, vocally, internally and externally. Movement can capture how we relate to the people around us, and for me, it is imperative to capture collective memory as an instinct within the work rather than a concept.

My work deals with the process of remembering and how the action of remembering shifts from mind to mind. It is often a disorienting environment for performers to inhabit or even visit briefly. To ignite this particular slice of self-awareness within my collaborators, I ask them to rely on each other to understand where they are in space and time and how particular settings affect their mannerisms and behavior.

The goal is to create a space with care at the forefront, with pleasure as the ultimate peak one can reach. Building a new body and making space for its capabilities requires fine-tuning the ear and nurturing the vulnerability to share perspectives. Everything that happens in the room matters and can be tethered together.

I combine resonant texts, a study of microexpressions, and dynamic movement to investigate the genuine response a body can have to its lived experience. I aim to disrupt harmful narratives imposed by personal histories and create a movement language that reflects the generosity of the details shared. I seek to connect the spectators and the spectacle through the intimate nature of collaborative performance-making. I want performance to engage civic society in exploring movement in myriad ways: through collective action, to mobilize modes of healing, and to voice esteem for an embodiment of pleasure.