Alyssa Milligan

About me

As a formally trained movement artist, I am drawn to work that blends classical ballet technique with a multitude of varied styles and influences. I value collaboration with artists and movers from disparate backgrounds and vastly different disciplines than my own. I am inspired by the search for common ground among distinct bodies and modes of interpretation. And I find it to be fertile starting ground for spontaneous yet structured growth and collective self-discovery in real time. I begin performances with a clear framework and container, then proceed to allow the interaction between body, environment, collaborators, and audience to generate movement pathways and progressions organically.

I aspire to present myself authentically and wholly uninhibited on any stage I traverse, either as a mover or movement director, as I feel that starting from a place of genuine personal vulnerability is a necessary first step to ensure a safe, honest, and impactful experience for all in attendance. I seek to explore and play with the dynamic that can develop over time between performers and audience members, when a sustained and transparent dialogue is initiated from the start. I hope that each work I am involved with can be experienced as a non-verbal conversation that leaves all parties more aware of their honest sense-of-self as the movements unfold.

I value improvisation over a more formal, calculated approach. From a structured starting point, spontaneous movement emerges and allows both performer and viewer to arrive at an honest space of self-reflection and exploration.

What i'm doing

Dance

Alyssa is currently working with Donna Sternberg and Dancers on an evening length show to be performed in May at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Bio

About Me

I'm Alyssa Milligan, originally from Rochester, New York, where my passion for dance started at just five years old. Growing up, I immersed myself in various dance forms at the Marilyn Schneider School of Dance, including ballet, jazz, hip hop, and acrobatics. Craving a more disciplined ballet environment, I joined the Odasz Dance Theater in 2010, guided by the artistic vision of Jessica Odasz.

My journey took an exciting turn when I encountered the LINES Ballet BFA Program in Chicago at a college fair during the River North Dance summer intensive. After being accepted into both the LINES Ballet Training Program and the BFA Program, I chose to pursue my degree there, minoring in psychology while continuing to hone my dance skills in the BFA Program.

Throughout my time in the BFA Program, I've had the privilege of working with esteemed choreographers like Maurya Kerr, Gregory Dawson, David Harvey, and Arturo Fernandez. This experience has helped me cultivate a dance style that's distinctly mine – dynamic, fluid, intense, and unbounded by physical limitations.

I've broadened my dance horizons by participating in various summer intensives, such as The Rochester City Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, River North Dance Chicago, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ate9, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Diavolo Virtual Construct, and No)one Arthouse.

Post-graduation, I took my talents to Los Angeles, continuing to explore and expand my training. In 2020, I joined the FLOCKWORKS creation intensive, led by Alice Klock and Florian Lochner, which focused on creating a dance film involving all the participants.

Film is another medium I'm passionate about, particularly dance on film. I've studied with experts like Dexandro Montalvo and Natasha Adorlee and even created a short dance film for the 2020 “Dance on Film” class, allowing me to blend my dance expertise with filmmaking.