Gayle Rocz (she/her/hers) is a dance artist and educator currently based in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a recipient of the 2023-2024 Individual Fellowship through the Nebraska Arts Council.
Gayle graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gayle is currently a company member of tbd. dance collective and recently performed in three of their evening length works, Above Below (2023), III (2022) and Affect (2021). She has worked with many nationally and internationally recognized choreographers both during and after college, including Jenna Riegel, Jennifer Nugent, Kayvon Pourazar, Lauren Simpson, Haley Koastas, and Alexa Capareda.
Gayle’s most recent choreography was shown at Danceworks Milwaukee’s Get It Out There Festival for emerging choreographers in July of 2022. She reset her self-choreographed solo, Dolores, which was originally performed in 2020 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dolores is a culmination of Gayle’s research interests, which combine dance, girlhood studies, popular culture, and literature.
Other recent works of Gayle’s include collaborations with other Nebraska artists, such as: by the way, a duet with Annie Schenzel for Omaha Under the Radar; Dollhouse, an interdisciplinary performance and art installation in collaboration with graphic designer Matthew Bailey and musician Natalie Hanson, which was funded by Amplify Arts’ Generator Grant; and The Moving Truck, a COVID-era dance delivery service in collaboration with Lauren Simpson and Kat Fackler.
Gayle regularly contributes choreography for tbd. dance collective, and has a forthcoming piece for Vox Dance Collective in Omaha, Nebraska. She is an educator and choreographer at Dedication Dance Co. in Papillion, which is a local youth dance studio for emerging artists.