Dancing can be a social activity, a chance to improve ones health, or an opportunity to let go of life's stresses. Elyssa Vega dances for the pure joy of the art form. As so many dancers begin their journey, Elyssa found her passion at the young age of two. She received formal training from Bonnie Siscoe in where she learned jazz, pointe, tap, hip hop, modern, lyrical, and contemporary dance. At 20 years old, Elyssa, currently attaining her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Houston, is easily a dancer with variety.
Elyssa participated in the Rockettes Summer Intensive in 2015 and studied abroad in Costa Rica where she assisted UH professor John Beasant III teaching choreography in 2017. Her first original choreographic work “Exulansis” debuted in March 2018 at the UH Goes to the Match show.
Justin Peck, choreographer of "Reflections" for the Houston Ballet, has been one of Elyssa's greatest inspirations. She seeks to create exciting and refreshing pieces in her own work just as he has. Being persistent in her dance career no matter the circumstance has greatly benefited Elyssa in that these experiences have been her muse when she creates.
"...Recently a professor described dancers as people who absolutely have to dance regardless of the adversity that comes with it," said Elyssa. "The amount of fulfillment I get from performing onstage, creating movement with friends, and learning new things from other dancers and instructors is what gives me the excitement to continue to do what I love."
Dancing can take a toll on your body. According to a 2018 study published by the US National Library of Medicine, fatigue is one of the leading contributors to dance injuries.
"I have had challenges physically with injury whether it’s my back or my ankle giving me trouble during the week of a show or mentally where I get very insecure about whether I have what it takes to be successful in this business or not," said Elyssa.
Elyssa has begun an apprenticeship with Professor Sophia Torres’ dance company, Psophonia and has been accepted onto the Soreal dance team.
If you would like to see an upcoming performance, Elyssa will be performing with UH Dance at Hermann Park Reflection Pool on May 1st at 6:30pm.
For business inquiries and to find tickets to her upcoming events, email her at elyssavegadance@yahoo.com or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
