Gaylene Sciascia

{{Short description|New Zealand choreographer and dance educator}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2021}}

{{Infobox dancer

|name = Gaylene Sciascia

|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM|size=100}}

|image = Gaylene Sciascia (cropped).jpg

|alt =

|caption = Sciascia in 2017

|birth_name = Gaylene Ann Wilson

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|09|03|df=y}}

|birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

|occupation = Choreographer, contemporary dance teacher

|spouse = {{marriage|Piri Sciascia|1972|2020|end=d.}}

}}

Gaylene Ann Sciascia {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM}} (born 3 September 1948) is a New Zealand choreographer and dance educator.

Sciascia was born Gaylene Ann Wilson in Auckland on 3 September 1948.{{Cite web|title=Piri and Gaylene Sciascia|url=http://www.sciascianz.com/piri.htm|access-date=2021-09-08|website=www.sciascianz.com|archive-date=21 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221155335/http://www.sciascianz.com/piri.htm|url-status=live}} She graduated from the University of Utah with a Master of Fine Arts.{{Cite web|date=|title=Sciascia, Gaylene Ann, 1948–|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22354287|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-08|website=National Library of New Zealand|language=en|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908042510/https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22354287}}

In 1972 she opened New Zealand's inaugural contemporary dance company, New Dance, along with John Casserly, Suzanne Renner and Jennifer Shennan.{{Cite book|last=Schultz|first=Marianne|url=|title=Limbs Dance Company 1977-1989 : dance for all people|isbn=978-0-473-40769-8|oclc=1099780479}} When New Dance toured New Zealand in 1973 was the first national tour of a local modern dance group. Sciascia and colleagues along with others such as Susan Jordan and Jamie Bull (Impulse Dance) were part of introducing modern dance throughout New Zealand in the 1970s.

In 1976 Sciascia organised the first National Dance Congress in Porangahau.

In 1991 she established Whitireia Performing Arts and led the programme until 2011.{{Cite web|last=Dando|first=Kris|date=2017-01-11|title=Gaylene Sciascia humbled by New Year honour for services to dance|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/88159675/gaylene-sciascia-humbled-by-new-year-honour-for-services-to-dance|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Stuff|language=en|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908043158/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/88159675/gaylene-sciascia-humbled-by-new-year-honour-for-services-to-dance}}

File:Gaylene Sciascia and Dame Patsy Reddy.jpg by the governor-general, Dame Patsy Reddy, on 24 May 2017]]

In the 2017 New Year Honours, Sciascia was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for service to dance.{{Cite web|title=New Year Honours 2017 – Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit|url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/new-year-honours-2017-citations-officers-new-zealand-order-merit|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|language=en-NZ|archive-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004224150/https://dpmc.govt.nz/new-year-honours-2017-citations-officers-new-zealand-order-merit}}