executive artistic director
monica hogan thysell
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Monica (she/her) is a professional choreographer, teacher, and dancer. As the artistic director of her company, Monica Hogan Danceworks, she has presented choreography on stages internationally including: Ailey Citigroup Theater, DUMBO Dance Festival, Dixon Place, Actor’s Fund Arts Center, Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter, NY Jazz Choreography Project, Queens Council on the Arts, CoolNY Dance Festival (NYC); Xuzhou Concert Hall, Tianjin Concert Hall (China); Triangle Dance Festival for AIDS (NC); Dance Canvas, Aurora Theater, and Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (GA); to name a few.
In 2011, she was a choreographer and dancer in the opening ceremonies of the Universiade olympic games in Shenzhen, China.
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Monica has performed professionally with companies including Gaspard&Dancers, De Funes Dance Company, BalaSole Dance Company, Phyzix Urban Dance Theatre, and more. On screen, Monica has performed in music videos for artists including Delta Rae and Vienna Teng and in work for AdCouncil and The College Board.
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Monica is currently on faculty at Motus Dance (Alpharetta, GA) where she teaches open level contemporary classes. She also loves working with students of all ages and often teaches movement and choreography workshops. Monica has set choreography for local students at Milton High School, the Marist School, and Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. She has also been a guest ballet and contemporary ballet instructor for BalletFest.
While in NYC, Monica taught Int/Adv contemporary classes for many years at Peridance. She and her company have held numerous artist-in-residence masterclasses and discussion panels for the Duke University Dance Program.
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Monica was a founding Board member of NACHMO and has been involved as a volunteer with the organization since 2014. NACHMO is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive community of dance makers – and to make the creative process more accessible to choreographers of all backgrounds.
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Monica was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she trained at numerous studios including the Georgia Ballet and Atlanta Ballet. Monica graduated with distinction in Dance Choreography and Performance from Duke University, where she was the winner of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Creative and Performing Arts. While there, Monica had the opportunity to learn from workshops with artists/companies including Alonzo King’s LINES, Nederlands Dans Theater, Alvin Ailey, Chunky Move, Mark Dendy, David Dorfman, Donald Byrd, Shen Wei, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and more. Her performance repertory there included Twyla Tharp's Eight Jelly Rolls and Torelli, along with countless works by acclaimed dance faculty.
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In addition to dance, Monica is a passionate marketer — particularly when it comes to technology that empowers small businesses. She is proud to serve as the Sr. Director of Product Marketing for OnPay, the top-rated payroll software for small businesses. You can learn more about Monica’s marketing background on LinkedIn.