ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
MORISATO is a collective founded by Mikaela Morisato that aspires to connect creatives from different mediums and multiple audiences with a focus in dance. Our mission is to create new opportunities with our collaborators welcoming all races, ethnicities, sexualities, religions and bodies to work together. We wish to spread more awareness for accessible ways to view and participate in sharing our pieces with an inclusive mentality. Our collaborative experience includes working within the dance, choreography, film and design areas in the entertainment and art industries. As a collective, we thrive on the motivation to continue growing expansive representation, research and new importance through movement.
“Accepting the gifts of art is a necessity but creating it is a privilege.”
Our Director Mikaela Morisato (they/them) An advocate for racial inclusivity, body positivity and more diversity within the arts.
RECENT COLLABORATORS
Erik Debono
Euphonic Connection
Erik Debono (he/him) was born in San Francisco, and trained with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and London Contemporary Dance School. Upon earning his BFA at Adelphi University, he has performed works of Lar Lubovitch, Ohad Naharin, Frank Augustyn, Earl Mosley, and Orion Duckstein. His performance career continued with Life & Trust NYC, the Metropolitan Opera, Parsons Dance, Post Ballet, SFDanceWorks, and more. Under the pseudonym “Clyde Dimension” he is an independent recording artist and producer, and has musically supported Yue Yin, AXIS Dance Company, Alexander Anderson. The name of Debono’s dance company is A Point 5.
Lavy Cavaliere
Euphonic Connection
Lavy (he/they) is a choreographic dance artist, producer, and DJ. In 2021, they founded VERBAL ANIMAL, a rotating cohort of interdisciplinary collaborators. Lavy was a returning choreographer with Mare Nostrum Elements, premiering an evening-length work at Laguardia Performing Arts Center, and was later commissioned to create a new piece for the 2024 Making Moves Festival. Additionally, Lavy is Co-Producer of the NY show Kiss My Face and founder of PLAY ME TECHNO, an experimental rave centering risk-forward performance art in decentralized spaces. Further, they received a NYSCA Support for Artists grant and serve as the 2026 Production Resident Artist at Triskelion Arts.
Marcus Sarjeant
Euphonic Connection
Marcus Sarjeant is a freelance dancer based in Brooklyn. In 2022 he graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance. He has performed the works of choreographers such as Annamari Keskinen, Connie Shiau, Kayla Farrish, Hofesh Shechter, and Johannes Wieland, in addition to many New York based companies. He most currently is a member of Le Ballet Fou, Verbal Animal, and Eni Artist Collective.
Ian Debono
Euphonic Connection
Ian Debono (he/him), originally from San Francisco, is a dancer with The Limón Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera. In 2023, he graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. While there, he had the pleasure of performing works by Ohad Naharin, Spenser Theberge, Jermaine Spivey, Medhi Walerski, Paul Singh, Amy Hall Garner and Norbert De La Cruz III among others.
Liana Kleinman
Euphonic Connection
Liana (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and dancer from Los Angeles, CA. She received her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College, and subsequently worked with Holly Blakey for Puma’s New York Fashion Week Show and Andrea Miller for Beautiful Destinations Panama. Liana has been commissioned to create work for Opera Notre Dame and The Angel’s Share at Green-Wood Cemetery in collaboration with The New York Philharmonic. Liana completed her Master’s at London Contemporary Dance School researching postures of melancholia in the ecological body.
Ragin Smith
Euphonic Connection
Ragin Smith (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and performance artist based in Brooklyn. She works to develop deconstructed narratives by stringing together contexts of movement, poetry, visual art, and music. She has presented work at The Tank, Fabled Narcissism, ESTIA Day Fest, and as an artist in residence at the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation. She will be in process during an upcoming summer residency at Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre. Ragin has performed works by Brendan Fernandes, Evan Ray Suzuki, Andrea Miller, Valeria Gonzalez, Morgan Bobrow-Williams, Ryan Bailey, Troy Ogilvie, La Intrusa Company, and more! She received a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Business Management from Marymount Manhattan College. Aside from her freelance projects, Ragin is a member of the Wet Hairy Women Collective, Hivewild, MORISATO, and Alison Chase Performance Group. She works closely with Haley Morgan Miller to direct and produce the Fabled Narcissism arts events.
Nelson Mejia
Euphonic Connection
Nelson Mejia (he/him) is a freelancer based in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BFA in Dance + Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University(2022). Company credits include Brian Brooks Moving Company and Pony Box Dance Theatre. Performance credits include work by Rena Butler, Raja Feather Kelly, and Andrea Miller. Nelson has served as Assistant Choreographer to Kelly for projects with Hermés and Soho Rep. He toured with Joyce Theater Productions’ “Heart of Brick”, dancing for R&B singer serpentwithfeet. His work has been shown at The Grace Street Theater, I.C.A. Richmond, Gibney’s Agnes Varis Theater, and Invisible Dog Arts Center.
Tamara Leigh
Euphonic Connection
Tamara (she/they) is a NYC based freelance dancer who specializes in contemporary works, dance theater, and night life. Tamara has performed in the second installment of MORISATO’s “Euphonic Connection” work at Arts On Site in 2024.