Gia Kourlas is an American dance critic. Since 2019, she had written as the dance critic for The New York Times.[1][2]

Early life and education

Kourlas was raised in Columbus, Ohio.[2] She began dancing at age 5; a few years later, she switched to figure skating.[1] She pursued a bachelor's degree in journalism at Ohio State University, where she also worked at student newspaper The Lantern.[2] While at college, she also began taking dance classes again.

Career

After moving to New York City in 1989,[2] Kourlas worked for New York Magazine and the Museum of Television and Radio, was an assistant to George Plimpton, and became an editor at The Paris Review.[1][2] She also took classes at the Martha Graham School.[1]

Kourlas first began writing about dance when she became the dance critic for Time Out New York in 1995.[2] She continued writing for the publication until they eliminated the position in 2015.[3][4] In 2016, Kourlas began producing a weekly dance series for The New York Times' Instagram, called #SpeakingInDance.[1][2] In August 2019, Kourlas was made a full-time dance critic for The New York Times; she had written pieces on dance for the publication since 2000.[1][2] She has also written for Dance Magazine.[5]

Kourlas has said she wants her writing to make dance more accessible to the public,[2] and as such she has written about dance in popular culture.[1] Kourlas was also one of the earlier critics to note the lack of diversity in major American dance companies.[1][6] In 2016, she was a resident fellow of NYU's Center for Ballet and the Arts, during which she focused on studying diversity and the presence of Black dancers in the world of classical ballet.[7] Kourlas has also written about the #MeToo movement and feminism in the dance world.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Our New Dance Critic". The New York Times Company. 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Grippe, John (2019-09-16). "Our Newest Critic Wants to 'Create More Fans of Dance'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  3. ↑ "Gia Kourlas Time Out Profile". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  4. ↑ Mainwaring, Madison (2015-08-06). "The Death of the American Dance Critic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  5. ↑ "Gia Kourlas". Dance Magazine. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  6. ↑ Kourlas, Gia (2007-05-06). "Where Are All the Black Swans?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  7. ↑ "Gia Kourlas". The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
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