Gaspard Louis

Gaspard Louis is a Haitian dancer, choreographer, and artistic director. A former dancer with Pilobolus, he is the founder and artistic director of the modern dance company Gaspard and Dancers. Louis is also on the faculty at North Carolina Central University and the American Dance Festival.

Early life and education Louis was born in Haiti. He immigrated to the United States when he was thirteen years old, living in Newark, New Jersey. Louis did not start training as a dancer until college. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Montclair State University through a partnership program at the American Dance Festival. He continued his dance studies as a scholarship student with Giordano Dance Chicago and the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab in New York. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from Hollins University.

Career After finishing his undergraduate studies, Louis joined the New York-based dance company AllNations, where he performed traditional world dances. He has also guest taught for dance programs at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and Elon University. He and his company have performed at the Wake Forest Dance Festival, the Cape Fear Stage in Wilmington, the North Carolina Museum of Art, Duke University, the North Carolina Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, and in Bermuda.

In 2012 Louis choreographed a trilogy of works, titled L’Espirit, Souke and Annatations, in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The works focused on dealing with tragedy and the human response to it. The trilogy was performed at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts in September 2015. Louis has also worked with Justin Tornow who, with himself, he set a duet on called Forbidden which was performed at Duke University.

In September 2019 he and his company performed at Elon University as part of the Lyceum Series. The show had political undertones, focusing on immigration in the United States.

He has also choreographed for Free Space Dance Company in New Jersey and the Kentucky University Dance Ensemble.

Louis has served on the faculty at the American Dance Festival, serving as the director of the Creative Movement Outreach Program.