Hope Gillerman was a long-time dancer and choreographer active before chronic back pain forced her into an early retirement from performance. Gillerman studied dance under Bessie Schoenberg at Sarah Lawrence College before coming to New York in 1979 to choreograph and dance such works as Family in the Works and A Gardener Learns to Cook. After her injury, Gillerman turned to the Alexander technique, a method in which she later became an instructor. Gillerman participated in The Kitchen's performance series Almost Dance in which she presented The Princess Story, the second act of Family in the Works.