2026 State of the Art Prize, Maryland
2026 State of the Art Prize, Maryland
Madeline Maxine Roman
Madeline Maxine Roman
Madeline Maxine Roman is talkative and loud. That’s partly due to being hard of hearing, but primarily because she stages fraught yet fruitful conversations about what it means to be human in the digital age. Featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, she is the Artistic Director of GRIDLOCK Dance.
Dance, Multimedia Performance, Performing Arts, Socially-Engaged Performance
2026
About Madeline Maxine Roman
Chevy Chase, MD
Madeline Maxine Roman is talkative and loud. That’s partly due to being hard of hearing, but primarily because she stages fraught yet fruitful conversations about what it means to be human in the digital age. Featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, she is the Artistic Director of GRIDLOCK Dance. A standout force among Gen Z choreographers, her work is “intellectually probing, politically minded, and personally revelatory” (Dance Magazine), “conceptually rich and ambitious” (Maryland Theatre Guide), “boldly explores technology’s downsides” (Washington City Paper), and offers “a searing comment on how pervasive social media and mobile devices affect human behavior” (Arts ATL). Committed to equitable business practices, Max pays her dancers an hourly wage. Her recent engagements include commissions from James Madison University (PA), the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (DC), Dance Loft (DC), and Joe’s Movement Emporium (MD); residencies with Montgomery College (MD), Rutgers University (NJ), and Atlas Performing Arts Center (DC); and presentations with Pentacle’s Tour Ready Lab (NY), Men in Dance (WA), Steps on Broadway (NY), YES! Dance Festival (VA), and Dance Canvas (GA). Max graduated as commencement speaker and honors scholar from Towson University with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S. in Mass Communication.
Madeline Maxine Roman is talkative and loud. That’s partly due to being hard of hearing, but primarily because she stages fraught yet fruitful conversations about what it means to be human in the digital age. Featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, she is the Artistic Director of GRIDLOCK Dance. A standout force among Gen Z choreographers, her work is “intellectually probing, politically minded, and personally revelatory” (Dance Magazine), “conceptually rich and ambitious” (Maryland Theatre Guide), “boldly explores technology’s downsides” (Washington City Paper), and offers “a searing comment on how pervasive social media and mobile devices affect human behavior” (Arts ATL). Committed to equitable business practices, Max pays her dancers an hourly wage. Her recent engagements include commissions from James Madison University (PA), the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (DC), Dance Loft (DC), and Joe’s Movement Emporium (MD); residencies with Montgomery College (MD), Rutgers University (NJ), and Atlas Performing Arts Center (DC); and presentations with Pentacle’s Tour Ready Lab (NY), Men in Dance (WA), Steps on Broadway (NY), YES! Dance Festival (VA), and Dance Canvas (GA). Max graduated as commencement speaker and honors scholar from Towson University with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S. in Mass Communication.