Join us for an open rehearsal with Atlas Arts Lab artist Madeline Maxine Gorman as she prepares for her concert on June 4.
Madeline Maxine Gorman (she/her) is a talkative and loud person. That’s due in part to bad hearing, but mostly because she has always been passionate about conveying important messages. A Maryland native, Max navigates the world as a queer, disabled, and neurodivergent person.
Recently featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, Max’s choreography is “intellectually probing, politically minded and personally revelatory” (Dance Magazine). She is the Artistic Director of GRIDLOCK Dance, a contemporary dance company based in Washington, DC that uncovers societal thorns and inspires everyday awakenings through collaborative performances and art-making. Described as a “raw talent” and “a treasure that can push her and the dance community in the right direction” (Charm City Dance), Max’s work examines the relationships between mass media, mental health, and movement.
Most recently, Max’s work Veritas was part of the 2023 Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival and Washington City Paper says that the work “boldly explores technology’s downsides.” In 2022, Max was Local Motion Project’s Artist in Residence and selected for Dance Place’s inaugural Dance and Disability residency. During the Dance Place residency, she partnered with Art Enables, a nonprofit that provides resources for artists with disabilities, to connect with and compensate other artists with disabilities for sharing their feedback on a new piece.
In 2021, GRIDLOCK was commissioned by Joe’s Movement Emporium to present Veritas. Through interactive technology and misinformation, Veritas mirrors how voyeurism, escapism, and sensationalism influence understandings of truth in everyday life. In 2019, Max’s self-produced and sold-out show ADDICT raised more than $4,000 for a new homeless shelter in Baltimore, specifically serving women affected by addiction. An ADDICT excerpt was voted Audience Favorite in the Ascending Choreographer’s Festival.
As an educator, Max has taught a diverse range of populations, including pre-professional dancers, seasoned movers, college football players, and theater actors. Max partners with On Our Own of Maryland, a behavioral health nonprofit, to create and conduct workshops on arts advocacy and movement for self-care to young adults with mental health and substance use struggles. Max has also led workshops on arts advocacy to young adults with disabilities through the nonprofit Independence Now.
Max graduated as commencement speaker from Towson University with her B.F.A. in Dance and B.S. in Mass Communication. During college, she received the Honors College Award, the Kaplan Award, the Research Impact Award, and the Outstanding Choreography Award.
