+ By Rahsaan “Wordslave” Eldridge + Photos courtesy of Elysia Merrill
If art doesn’t inspire something in you, good or bad, then it’s not really doing its job.
– Elysia Merrill
Progress is defined as a forward or onward movement, a gradual betterment. However, all movement is not progress. Sometimes progress comes from sitting still, listening, and assessing. Sometimes progress is in the shift, moving in a direction that’s different from the original plan. From the age of 14, Elysia Merrill’s life has been about movement. When she realized that dance was her path, she pursued it passionately. And that path presented obstacles that sometimes she was able to move through and other times was forced to be still and search for direction before moving on.
Merrill didn’t consider herself an adventurous child. She was an observer, usually opting to wait until it felt safe before diving into something new. She followed her younger sister, who was more outgoing, participating in sports such as horseback riding and ice skating, but Merrill ultimately gravitated to dance. She started with hip-hop and ballroom, then moved to classical styles before realizing that she didn’t have to decide on a single genre but could explore many different avenues. It was a form of self-discovery and freedom that fulfilled her in ways that the regimen of school never did. She preferred to roam and wander, which she attributes to being neurodivergent, meaning she learns and processes information differently than what is considered normal or neurotypical.
As a child, she attended a summer dance intensive at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, where she lived for a month. She also danced under the direction of Emmy Award–winning choreographer Mia Michaels and studied at the Pulse, a performing arts studio in New York. Those experiences raised the bar of excellence and caused her to work harder, as she was studying with more advanced dancers.
In high school, she joined the dance company at her church, West End Assembly of God, in Richmond, Virginia, where she had the opportunity to travel and work with professional companies including Project Dance and Amalgamate Dance Company. Those experiences confirmed it for her: “I want to do this.”
Merrill continued dancing in college, attending Shenandoah Conservatory, in Winchester, Virginia, where she met her husband and future collaborator, David Merrill (her maiden name is Greene). It’s also where she fell in love with choreography. “[I could] say endless things with choreography and I don’t have to say a word,” she says. Growing up, Merrill was often timid because she didn’t want to highlight her neurodivergence. She pushed herself to make good grades and be a model student as a protective measure against being called out by teachers. Because dance requires a lot of being quiet and listening, it had usually worked in her favor, although her teachers noticed that sometimes she had difficulty picking up routines.
Eventually, she sought out a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). “Looking back, there were signs,” she says. “Hyperactivity, needing things to be a certain way, or always searching for patterns.” The more she learned about her diagnosis, the more answers she found for some of her tendencies. Despite her challenges, Merrill pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. She knew that she had a gift of movement—it allowed her to express herself and gave her confidence. Dancing provided structure while allowing her to explore freely. “It was the fire and ice I needed,” she says.
Merrill’s passion for movement and exploration led her to the Philippines, where she toured with Global Xpression, better known as GX International, a dance company founded by the evangelist group Youth With A Mission. GX uses dance and extreme sports to minister and spread its core values. The experience opened Merrill to the idea of touring as a performer, but pursuing her degree was her priority, and by the time she graduated, her focus shifted from performance to choreography.
After graduation, in 2013, Merrill joined Motion X Dance Company, based in Northern Virginia, whose movement style is rooted in classic modern, ballet, and jazz. Shortly after joining, Merrill was named associate director and played a key role in the company’s performances at the Kennedy Center and TEDx. Merrill especially enjoyed the company’s performance at the Children’s National Hospital. She appreciated being able to provide joy and reprieve to ailing children and their families. Motion X’s introspective storytelling deeply resonated with Merrill, who stayed with the company until 2018, when illness sidelined her and initiated a journey of healing and personal discovery that tested her faith and resilience.
During a trip to Mexico, Merrill got a bacterial infection that sent her to the hospital. Returning home, she felt better for a couple of weeks, but symptoms returned and worsened, causing frequent trips to the emergency room. She stayed on the couch for six months, weak and unable to retain food. Doctors couldn’t diagnose her illness, and that exacerbated her anxiety. Eventually, through a combination of traditional medicine and naturopathic remedies focusing primarily on gut health, she began to heal. During this time, she was also diagnosed with autism, a revelation that, for her, put some of her struggles into perspective.
Sickness caused Merrill to question what she may have done to offend God. She believed that her faith would heal her but also incorporated treatments such as crystals and energy work that helped her get better, even though it challenged much of what she was taught in her conservative upbringing. Her faith still plays a role in her work, but her healing journey has broadened her spiritual perspective to include more universal ideas while still honoring and respecting Christianity.
Merrill takes an inclusionary approach to her work, including the shows on which she collaborates with her husband at Woods Presbyterian Church in Severna Park. He’s the director of the Music and Arts program, which they started together. Anyone, starting from age 12, is welcome to participate in the shows, and membership in the church is not required. Noteworthy productions include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for which they won a Ruby Griffith Outstanding Achievement Award, and The Secret Garden. They’ve also worked with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis to produce Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and on The Prom, presented by Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and for which they won a TheaterBloom Bloomie Award for theatrical excellence. Merrill was praised by Maryland Theatre Guide, which highlighted her ability to showcase the talent of the cast.
Merrill has earned a decade’s worth of awards and accolades for her choreography with different organizations, but a dream of hers, dating back to her senior year at Shenandoah Conservatory, was to establish her own dance company. In 2021, she realized that dream, forming Elysian Dance Theater. It comprises dancers with whom she’s built relationships throughout her years of traveling and performing. When she’s working on a production, she taps into that pool of performers specifically for that project. Though it currently operates as a pick-up dance company, Merrill is open to a more permanent situation but prefers to let the evolution happen naturally.
Beyond their work on stage, Merrill and her dancers have formed friendships. Those connections have allowed her to approach her work with authenticity and transparency. She’s open about her conditions and how they affect the way she works. Her transparency has inspired her dancers to be open about their own feelings and needs, rather than believing that they must push themselves past pain or physical exhaustion. The shared empathy creates a bond that elevates the overall performative experience.
Navigating the effects of her conditions requires Merrill to take steps to avoid physical and mental burnout. She must remember to take breaks during rehearsals and schedule downtime and vacations. Sometimes, she wears ear protection to block out noise so that she doesn’t become overstimulated. Effectively managing her calendar is also key.
Regardless of expertise, acclaim, and soul-searching revelations, Merrill still feels the need sometimes to push beyond her physical and social limits. She’s presented the idea to her dancers about teaching an exploratory class in which she would unmask and be completely open about how she feels in the moment. It’s a concept she’s still pondering. While Merrill’s focus has been on choreography since her return from her forced hiatus in 2018, she’s recently taken an interest in performing again. She doesn’t force it, instead waiting on inspiration. She listens to her body, then moves. When necessary, she’s still, recharging until it’s time to move again.
For more information, visit elysiagreene.wixsite.com/elysia.
