Christopher Gillis

Who was Christopher Gillis?

Christopher Gillis was an important gay male dancer and choreographer and member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of the late Gene Gillis, a US Olympic skier, and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier who competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics along with her twin sister Rhoda. His sister, Margie Gillis, is also a dancer and choreographer; they were dance partners from childhood and collaborated on numerous shows. His brother, Jere Gillis, played professional hockey from 1977 to 1987 for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1976 in New York City. He lived and worked in New York for the next seventeen years. He was designated Taylor's heir-apparent. He died from AIDS complications.