about the artist
Elysia joined Motion X Dance DC after graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory with her BFA in Dance and receiving the 2013 Outstanding Senior Award for choreography and most outstanding conservatory graduate. While dancing for Motion X, Elysia has been able to perform on TEDx (of TED Talks), for INTERSECTIONS Dance Festival at the Atlas Theater, and on the Millennium Stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Previously, Merrill had the pleasure of dancing along side and training with prestigious companies such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (on scholarship), ARCOS Dance (on scholarship), Ekilibre Dance Company (soloist), Nederlands Dans Theater, Ad Deum Dance Company, and BARE Dance Company.
It was not until the age of 14 when Elysia began dancing seriously—training with Debbie Allen in California, Mia Michaels in NYC, and touring with hip hop crew GX International in the Philippines. In 2016, Elysia took on the role of Associate Director with Motion X and has enjoyed collaborating on works such as Altered Archives (voted 2015 Best of DC Capital Fringe and showcased at The Kennedy Center). Along with Altered Archives, Elysia has received numerous awards for her choreography, including DC Metro’s 2015 Best Choreography honor for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Terpsichore Award for Overall Excellence in performance and choreography at Shenandoah University, The Ruby Griffith Award for 2016 Best Overall Production for her fight choreography in Guys & Dolls, and 2017 Broadway World Baltimore Awards: Best Choreography nomination for Light Up The Stars at Annapolis Summer Garden Theater. Other choreography credits include My Ruffled Fears (American College Dance Festival, ARCOS’ Pecha Kucha & MXDC Preview Concert), Sleeping Beauty and Beauty & The Beast (CTA), Share The Message and Godspell (WMPC Music & Fine Arts), Once Upon A Mattress and Fiddler on the Roof (Live Arts MD), and The Master’s Plan (The Landmark). Elysia’s desire as an artist is to leave every audience feeling inspired and filled with hope.
Please contact me directly if you would like a copy of my resumé