The Dance Program is thrilled to welcome guest artists this term, Sam Aros Mitchell and Elayna Waxse! Dance students are excited to get to work with these amazing artists and we are looking forward to seeing their work on stage at the Semaphore Dance Concert this November!
Sam Aros-Mitchell (he/him/his) is an enrolled member of the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians. Asan art-maker, dancer, and scholar, Aros-Mitchell’s work spans the disciplines of performance, sound/light/scenic design, choreography, and embodied writing. In 2020, he relocated to Mni Sota Makoce and was among the first cohort of Native artist fellows at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis to serve as Native Directing Fellow. As an actor, Aros-Mitchell has performed with Toot Performance in the film The Premise of Gripping the Wall When You’re Upset. Aros-Mitchell has been a core member of Rosy Simas Danse since 2017 as a performer, teacher, and community engagement organizer. He is a writer with articles in academic and art publications such as Native American Research Journal, Dance Research Journal, and Mn Artists. Aros-Mitchell’s abstract, “José Limón, The Unsung and Yoeme Syncretism” was recently accepted for publication in a book that celebrates José Limón’s legacy, titled Transcending Amerincaness. In 2018, he founded Aros and Son Publishing, dedicated to publishing the work of Native writers. Aros-Mitchell holds a Ph.D. in Drama and Theater from the joint doctoral program at UC San Diego/UC Irvine, an MFA in Dance Theatre from UC San Diego, and a BFA from UC Santa Barbara.
Elayna Waxse is originally from Overland Park, Kansas and is now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began her training at nine years old with Alecia Good and also at the Kansas City Ballet School under the direction of Karen P. Brown, spending her summers at the School of American Ballet in New York City. She continued her training at the Professional Division program at Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, WA., where she regularly performed with the company.
In addition to her performing career, Elayna has assisted TU Dance artistic director Uri Sands on his choreographic projects for the New Orleans Ballet Association (2016), Ballet Memphis (2017), and Performa/Dance of Austin (2017).
She has also presented choreographic work of her own through the support of Minnesota Dance Theatre (2017,2018), University of Minnesota Opera Theatre (2018,2019), St. Olaf College (2018), Ballet Minnesota’s MN Dance Festival (2018), Zenon Dance Zone (2016), 9×22 at Bryan Lake Bowl (2015), Future Interstates (2015), and Detroit Dance Race (2013).