Gerri Houlihan studied at the Juilliard School with Antony Tudor and members of the Graham and Limon dance companies. She performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. From 1991-1999 she directed Houlihan and Dancers, based in Miami, Florida and was on the faculty of the New World School of the Arts. She has been on the faculty of the ADF from 1981-1983 and from 1987 to the present. As an international representative for ADF, she has participated in 17 international linkage programs in such countries as Korea, China, Mongolia, Brazil, and Chile. She is a retired Professor Emerita from Florida State University and also the recipient of the ADF’s Balasaraswati, Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching. She was Co-Dean and then Dean of the ADF School from 2010-2015 and received her MFA from the Hollins/ADF MFA program. She currently teaches at the ADF studios in Durham and is the Artistic Director of the Big Red Dance Project- a group of dancers age 35-73 and up!
Big Red Dance project
We carry our history and our geography in our bodies. The Big Red Dance Project is an organization that encourages adults to create and perform their personal histories through dance. Grounded in the classical modern dance traditions of director Gerri Houlihan, the group seeks to develop community, expand the notions of who can dance in our current society, and enhance the vibrant arts scene in the Triangle area of North Carolina. With dancers from the ages of 35 to 73 and beyond, the group includes a physical therapist, a nurse, a visual artist and several current and retired dance educators.