SUMMIT: THROUGH HER RISE is a movement summit that has commissioned five female identifying choreographers to share their creative works and wisdom with U-M students and the public at large with FREE workshops happening October 27-28 and a FREE performance on October 28th at 7pm. All events are hosted by U-M’s Dance Department located at 1000 Baits Drive, Ann Arbor Michigan 48105. SUMMIT is a platform where underrepresented artists can come together to present their work at U-M, an R1 university, with the goal of introducing excellent and thought provoking pieces to the Ann Arbor community. This platform aims to create new opportunities to network, share resources and expand U-Ms impact to the broader artistic landscape. Conceived, curated and produced by Associate Professor of Dance, Shannon Gillen, SUMMIT positions itself as a celebratory opportunity for women makers to unite and share their visions broadly. SUMMIT received generous funding through Arts and Resistance, a cross-campus partnership between the U-M Museum of Art, the U-M Arts Initiative, and the College of LSA.

TICKETS ARE FREE!

Artist biographies:
Rebecca Margolick: is a Canadian choreographer based in NYC. Her work has been presented in Turkey, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Poland, Israel, and across the U.S and Canada. She was named one of Dance Magazines' Top 25 to Watch in 2021 and has received fellowships and residencies from Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, Banff Centre for the Arts, CEART San Luis Potosí, Derida Stage, Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance, to name a few. She has created original works at La Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, LITVAK Dance, Ballet B.C.’s Annex, Ailey School BFA Program, Michiyaya Dance, and DancePORT Derida. She is commissioned to create a new work for Oregon Ballet Theater’s 2023/2024 season.

Tuli Bera, a Bengali-American artist based in Chicago, IL, is a versatile performer, choreographer, and movement instructor. Their dance repertoire encompasses Aerial Dance, Bharatanatyam, Indian folk styles, Ballet, Modern, and Improvisation. Bera's choreography blends technical prowess with a genuine exploration of identity. Their artistic journey is a personal excavation, unveiling hidden facets of themselves. Their work has graced Chicago's prestigious venues like Links Hall, The Edge Theater, Steppenwolf 1700 Theater, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, combining movement, film, textiles, theater, and live cooking. In addition to their solo work, they are in constant collaboration with various companies and artists in Chicago. Current collaborators include Ishti Collective, Darling Squire and Helen Lee. Beyond performance, they support independent artists as a production assistant to Sarah Stearn through the J e l l o Performance Series housed by Elastic Arts. They teach Ballet and Aerial Dance for all ages through Aerial Dance Chicago and as an independent teaching artist at various studios and arts institutions.

Dava Huesca: from Queens, New York is an alumni of Peridance Youth Ensemble, Fiorello LaGuardia High School, and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Her training continued with Springboard Danse Montreal, through which she was hired as a company member with VIM VIGOR dance company. Dava has performed works with Telfar TV, Yin Yue Dance Company, Jacolby Satterwhite, Johannes Wieland, Laja Martin, Maxine Doyle, Rena Butler, Sidra Bell, Damani Pompey, Stephanie Batten Bland, Christoph Wrinkler company, and Martha Graham Dance Company. Dava was the first Springboard Danse Montreal nominated recipient of Jonah Bokaer’s Arts Foundation AIR Founder’s Residency, as well as the first round of choreographic artists for Gallim’s Moving Women residency. Dava has been a guest floor work teacher for MOVE |NYC|, Gibney Pro, Brickhouse, Broadway Dance Center, Manhattanville, and was an adjunct professor for three semesters at SUNY Purchase. In 2020 Dava co-founded the interdisciplinary arts collective LLAB RATS, a dance collective that seeks to practice art as activism for the benefit of Black folks. Through LLAB RATS, she has performed and set works for Triskelion Arts, Battery Dance Festival, CPR, Ciclo Dos, Arts on Site, The Craft NYC, and POP UP NYC. Dava was awarded the Desiree Kera’s award in 2015 and has been recognized by The NY Times and Dance Spirit magazine for the viral dance fashion instagram page @issadancelook. She took on the role as Artistic Programs manager for arts and social justice organization MOVE |NYC| in December 2022.

Charrie Burke (performing Dava Huesca's work): was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She began her training at Brooklyn HighSchool of the Arts and has trained with The Ailey School, Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center, and MOVE|NYC| Young Professionals Program. She has also done additional training with B12 Research or Die, Ballet Hispanico Summer Intensive, and Movement Invention Project 2. Charrie currently attends SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts under the direction of Darrah Carr.

Alessia Ruffolo: Currently based in Berlin, Alessia is a Canadian-born choreographer, performer and creative. She holds a BFA in dance from Point Park University, and has trained in theater/acting for film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and The New York Film Academy. From 2016-2021, she worked with FAUST nominated choreographer Johannes Wieland as member of the Staatstheater Kassel. Currently, she is working closely with theatre directors Phillip Rosendahl and Alexander Nerlich as a co-director/choreographer and actor across theatres in Europe. She has also worked with Maxine Doyle - Punchdrunk, Lenka Vagnerova, Kristian Lever, Dani Vitale, Tharbedragons, Tom Weinberger, Helder Seabra, and Luke Murphy. Alessia’s Choreographic work has been showcased across Europe in various festivals/theatres in Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, etc. Her ScreenDance work has also received recognition from numerous international film festivals, most notably winning the “Most Daring Film” Award from the Dare2Dance in Public Film festival 2021.

Lourdes del Mar Santiago Lebron: Puerto Rican movement artist Lourdes del Mar aims to create artistic explorations that heighten the senses, provoke inquisition, and demand attention. Honing in to their belief that true connection between art maker and audience is achieved through raw emotive experiences. A sense of urgency is common in their work, as art has long been a loud and persuasive means to cope and communicate, facilitating a healing and explorative experience for dancers and audience alike. As a Queer Latine woman, they are committed to making art that is unapologetic, ideally aiding to create a world in which people think longer, feel harder, and experience life without hesitation. A graduate of the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, they are currently pursuing their MFA at Washington University in St. Louis.

Shannon Gillen: is the artistic director of VIM VIGOR (US). Her creative work has been commissioned across the USA, Canada, Central America, South America and Europe. Projects include commissions by L.A. Dance Project, dance.films for BAM, fashion label Phelan for NY Fashion Week, Danceworks at the Lobero Theatre, Hubbard Street 2, Gibney Dance Company, over het lj in (NL), Jacob's Pillow Festival, Boston Dance Theater at the ICA in Boston, Ruvuelo (Chile), Mainfranken Theater Würzburg (DE), Arts Umbrella in Vancouver (CA), the International Solo-Tanz Theater Festival in Stuttgart (DE), the TIF theater in Kassel (DE, de dansers (NL), as a think big choreographer-in-residence at Staatsoper Hannover (DE) and at Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton where she was a choreographer in residence; notable festivals and venues where her work has been seen include Springboard Danse festival in Montreal, New York Live Arts, Prisma Festival in Panama, Judson Church, PULSE art fair/Art Basel, Bryant Park, NYC's River to River festival, Perry Mansfield, and The Joyce. In 2024, Gillen was commissioned to create new works for the IUA in Reykjavik, Iceland, the b12 Festival in Berlin and Vassar College. Gillen is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Michigan and is establishing Ann Arbor as a midwest hub for contemporary practices with VIM VIGOR’s open classes and annual winter / summer programming. Gillen is a graduate of The Juilliard School and earned her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.

Jess Fialko, is a lighting, costume, and scenic designer. Regional credits include: Colorado Springs Conservatory, Theatreworks Colorado Springs, Penobscot Theatre Company, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Riverside Theatre, Iowa Summer Repertory, Maples Repertory Theatre, Hollins University, University of Northern Iowa, Birmingham Children's Theatre, Davenport Junior Theatre, and Quad Cities Theatre Workshop. Jess is a clinical assistant professor of Theatre & Drama at the University of Michigan, where they teach lighting design and theatre production.