Disciplines:
Natsumi Sophia Bellali was born and raised in Montreal, and received her modern dance training at The Ailey School in New York. She is a founding member of Brooklyn-based contemporary company MICHIYAYA Dance, and worked as an understudy for the Mark Morris Dance Group. She got in touch with her artistic voice during the creation of “Calling: a dance with faith” with Ping chong + Company, directed by Jesca Prudencio, presented at the LaMaMa Moves! Dance Festival. She has choreographed for dancers at Ballet Montreal, for the Glee Club at St-George High School, and Youth Theater Canada. She then dove into creating a solo work “Salam Tata”, supported by Zab Maboungou / Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata, Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, the MAI (Alliance 22-23 cohort), the CALQ, and Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal. Recently, she made space for her commercial dance voice as Associate Choreographer for “We Fancy”, a new immersive party for cruise line Virgin Voyages. Bellali continues to share her practice by teaching in a various contexts; from community centers through The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center, to dance studios like Ballet Montreal. Today, she explores a great passion in cross-training athletes in dance. She ranges from working with synchronized swimmers, to figure skaters, to high diver Molly Carlson.
