Photo by CPRowe Leyya Mona Tawil
Leyya Mona Tawil is a dance artist, educator and the Artistic Director of DANCE ELIXIR. Under her direction since 2003, DANCE ELIXIR has enjoyed national tours and international engagements in 10 countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Highlights include performances at the Rawabet Theater (Cairo), Dock 11 (Berlin), Duncan 3.0 (Rome) and the Syrian National Opera House (Damascus). Tawil’s artist residencies include NooderparkKamer (Amsterdam), Hotel Pupik (Austria), Studio Emad Eddin (Cairo), Central City Artist Project (New Orleans) and KUNST-STOFF arts (San Francisco).
The mainstay of Leyya’s work is collaboration with artists from multiple disciplines. Her current research into location-based dance making has birthed projects such as The Grand Re-Map and Destroy// - works that are subject to variations defined by locality. She has been interviewed about these works by national press Art21 Blog, NEA Art Works and The Huffington Post. Leyya is also the director of TAC:Temescal Arts Center - an venue for experimental art in Oakland-California. She has taught at universities and professional schools worldwide.