Elisa Clark

Elisa Clark is an award winning artist, educator, and administrator from the Washington, DC area, who trained at the Maryland Youth Ballet, before receiving a BFA from The Juilliard School, under Benjamin Harkarvy.

As a dancer, Ms. Clark was a founding member of Robert Battle’s Battleworks Dance Company, where she also served as Company Manager and Mr. Battle’s assistant. Additionally, she was a featured member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and Mark Morris Dance Group, and performed with Nederlands Dans Theater and The Metropolitan Opera, in works by Jirí Kyli´n, and Crystal Pite, respectively. Since 2019 she has performed alongside Monica Bill Barnes with Monica Bill Barnes & Company in Happy Hour. Her extensive performing career has also included appearances in the Off-Broadway production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, as an actor in several Samuel Beckett plays, directed by Mark Morris for Northern Ireland’s Happy Days Festival, and in an original film directed and choreographed by Breton Tyner-Bryan.

As an educator and mentor, she has held residencies and faculty positions at the Ailey School/Fordham University, Alabama School of Fine Arts, American Dance Festival, Bard College, Brown University, George Mason University, Indiana University, Jacob’s Pillow, Marymount Manhattan College, MOVE NYC, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, New World School of the Arts, University of Oklahoma, Princeton University, and the University of the Arts. She is currently on faculty at the Ailey School and at Gibney. Furthermore, she has taught company class for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Ballet Hispanico, the Gibney Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Mark Morris Dance Group. As a repetiteur and rehearsal director, Ms. Clark frequently restages the works of Mr. Battle and Mr. Morris, and serves as Mr. Battle’s artistic assistant for new and existing dances. Ms. Clark is a Princess Grace Award Winner and a certified Life Coach, often leading seminars, empowering artists to navigate their respective field. www.elisaclark.com Instagram: @elisakclark

Contemporary Modern class with Elisa Clark is a modern technique class that focuses on anatomical alignment and finding space within the body, and explores musicality and rhythmic clarity, by drawing upon the foundations and principles of the techniques and styles of Jose Limón, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor, amongst others, all while cultivating self awareness and presence. Class will culminate by learning repertory phrases by Robert Battle!

Photo: Andrew Eccles