A B O U T

A Phi Beta Kappa Dance and Studio Art alum of Mount Holyoke College, Merli V. Guerra is a professional dancer and an interdisciplinary artist with a background in ballet and modern. She is a member of Nataraj Dancers, a classical Indian dance company with whom she studied in India in 2007 and performed in Japan in 2009. She is also an artistic filmmaker, having won several awards for her dance-on-camera films.

Guerra's work as an interdisciplinary artist began taking form in 2008 with the creation of her film Synchronic. With no prior background in film or video editing, Guerra was surprised when the film won Best Dance on Camera, Best of Mount Holyoke, and Best of Fest at the Five College Film Festival in 2009. Since then, she has continued her work with video projection and live performance, presenting pieces that explore the duality of existing physically and through projected video, while creating subtle narrative through surreal illuminated walls. Guerra has since presented her work in various festivals and performances, including the Rhodywood Filmmakers Showcase in Providence, RI.

Now in the Boston area, Guerra studies under various teachers and choreographers through the Dance Complex in Cambridge, and has been invited to teach introductory Orissi and creative movement classes at venues such as The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. She is a member of the Cambridge Performance Project, teaching Creative Dance and Ballet to children ages 3-8 in the Cambridge public schools, and is a freelance graphic designer for local music, dance, art and theatre organizations.

In June of 2010, Guerra became Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Luminarium Dance Company along with MHC alum Kimberleigh A. Holman. Last fall, Guerra presented three new works in Luminarium's debut concert FRACTURE, and began this season by presenting her new work Upon, as well as a “breathing” installation, at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Movement at the Mills in March. She and Holman were most recently invited to speak at Mount Holyoke College on a panel about having a successful career in the arts after graduating, and are now beginning new choreographic work with a grant from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston known as the President’s Innovation Fund. Visit www.LuminariumDance.org for more information.