Michael McGowan began his dance training at his mother’s dance studio in Clarksburg, WV and graduated from the Harid Conservatory of Dance in Boca Raton, FL. Michael was a member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago where he toured the world performing the works of Twyla Tharp, Bob Fosse, Daniel Ezralow and Margo Sappington, among others. He was a guest artist of River North Dance Chicago under the artistic direction of Sherry Zunker, and appeared in a documentary about the company titled Reality of a Dreamer. Michael is forever grateful to his Chicago dance family, especially Lou Conte, Sherry Zunker, and the late Claire Bataille, for inspiring him to continue the legacy of artistic mentorship. Michael was the founder and Artistic Director of Kitchen Sink Dance Company and continued his teaching and choreography at the Spence School in NYC, where he was the Chair of the Performing Arts Department and director of the dance program for fourteen years. Michael was awarded a choreographic residency with the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, and his work there ultimately led to the development of Flight Path Dance Project. Michael lives in NYC with his husband Steven Lutvak, who composed the music and co-authored the lyrics for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and their daughter Eliot Rose. (Watch Michael's piece "First, Second and the Third" here.)