Leyya Tawil, Artist-in-Residence

Photo by Liz Payne

Leyya Tawil joins the Middlebury Dance Department as our new Artist in Residence.  A choreographer, performer and educator, she has held artistic residencies and faculty positions at numerous institutions, including the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of San Francisco and Sonoma State University.  Her signature kinetic style earned her a place on the SF Bay Guardian's "Top 10 Choreographers to Watch" in 2006.  As Artistic Director of Leyya Tawil's Dance Elixir, her work has been presented throughout the U.S., including the Arab American National Museum (MI), Oakland Art Gallery (CA), Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit and Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.  The company's upcoming activities include a Middlebury and New York City in the spring and Leyya's residency in Beirut, Lebanon in January 2008.  Leyya received her BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and her MFA in Dance from Mills College.