Elyse Morckel

Title: Contemporary Instructor
Dept/Program: Dance Institute

Biography

ELYSE MORCKEL (she/her) of Akron, Ohio is a dancer, choreographer & movement educator. After training under the direction of Kelly Berick at Firestone High School’s Dance Program, she went on to earn her BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University in 2014 with concentrations in choreography and dance technology. While at OSU she had the opportunity to work with individuals such as Vicki Blaine, Noa Zuk, Bebe Miller, Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Melanie Bales, Susan Hadley, and Cleveland native Dianne McIntyre. Her choreography was featured in many concerts and dance festivals throughout her undergraduate career, and her duet Scat in VII (2014), in collaboration with Lauren Bedal was selected to represent graduate and undergraduate adjudicated work at the 2014 ACDFA conference at Ohio University. Her senior thesis project our place (2014) was performed at BalletMet Performance Space and her choreographic research was presented at the Denman Arts and Sciences Research Forum. In 2017, she became a company dancer and choreographer with The Movement Project (Cleveland,Ohio), and was promoted to Associate Director in 2022. Since joining TMP she has performed the choreographic works of Pam Tanowitz, Rebecca Leuszler, Megan Gargano, Irene Honora, Grace Nicklos & Liz Conway. Some of her most recent choreographic projects include, the time has come, (2015), WWTD (2017), & untitled: an exercise (2020), performed at the Akron School for the Arts, series of rituals, remembered (2013, restaged in 2017 & 2018) in the end, this is a victory dance (2018, restaged in 2022), (6) Vignettes of Drama (2019), Sixes & 7’s (2021), coddiwomple (2021), & it’s a game we play (2022). Her works have been performed at venues such as Transformer Station, Mentor Amphitheater, & Current Gallery, and through performance platforms Cleveland Dance Fest & Summerworks, presented by The Movement Project. She has taught at The Movement Project Summer Intensive (2017-2022), TMP Winter Workshop (2017-2021), TMP School of Dance, Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Akron School for the Arts at Firestone High School, Ohio Thespian Conference, Cleveland Dance Fest, as well as many private dance studios and schools across northeast Ohio. In addition to her dance movement practice, Elyse is an E-RYT 200/YACEP level yoga instructor with advanced certifications for children’s yoga.