Mary Gennevieve Overlie

Mary was born in Terry, Montana and moved to Bozeman when she was six years old. At the age of 17 she jumped on a freight train leaving town and made her way to San Francisco where she began her career as a dancer and choreographer. From the moment she could walk she danced. Her focused dedication to dance and theater shaped her life and those around her. Her vision, drive and sacrifice led her to become an icon in the world of modern dance.



She relocated to New York in the 70's and moved to SoHo, where she single handedly remodeled a loft while performing and choreographing both solo and group performances. She developed a postmodern approach to dance and theater which she termed "The Viewpoints." Mary taught at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University as the first faculty member at the Experimental Theater Wing (ETW). She was always committed to the development of young artists, many of whom considered her their "art mother." In the 80's and early 90's she relocated to Europe where she toured, taught, and established the ETW Paris Program for NYU. She was a collaborative founder of the Tanzwochen Festival in Vienna where dancers from all over the world came together to perform and to learn from each other.



Mary wrote and published her book "Standing in Space: The Six Viewpoints Theory & Practice" as a theoretical, and practical approach to the philosophy of performance composition technique. The publication of her book brought her attention both in the US and internationally, resulting in numerous invitations to teach around the world. Her cancer diagnosis could not keep her down. In this last year she taught in the Netherlands, London, Madrid, Vienna, and Shanghai and even found time for a little vacation in Istanbul. The outpouring of love and gratitude from her students around the world has been so uplifting. Her spirit will live on in those young minds.



Mary was an incredibly unique individual. She was an amazing cook and enjoyed entertaining. Everyone loved being at her dinner parties where she brought people together from all walks of life for great conversation and wonderful food. In her final months she continued to bring people together as her caregivers all formed a bond with her and each other. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and students, but her legacy of creative thinking will live on. She was a constant reminder that all things are possible if you remain true to yourself.



Mary is survived by her brother Eric Overlie, sister Deborah White and many loving and talented nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister Donna Lingle, brothers Paul Overlie and Richard Overlie and Parents Olav and Elaine Overlie.