Elijah Alhadji Gibson
Elijah Alhadji Gibson, dance educator, choreographer, and activist founded Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theater in 2019 after international career as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer and a long-standing career in Higher Education.
Originally from San Diego, California, he began dancing with the San Diego Civic Dance Association and attended the San Diego School for the Performing Arts. Gibson studied dance in college and later earned his Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, focusing on dance history, somatic studies, and pedagogy.
Gibson had the privilege of working closely with the world-renowned Gus Giordano, and his critically acclaimed work has been presented at
prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center and Jacob’s Pillow. Throughout his career, he has held faculty positions and residencies at institutions such as Shenandoah Conservatory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Houston. Gibson is currently on faculty at Texas A&M University.
Recognized for his socially engaged choreography, Gibson’s work explores identity, cultural history, and community through movement. In addition to his creative work, he is a committed advocate for arts access and representation in public education, having developed culturally responsive programs for Houston-area schools and cultivating partnerships that use dance as a tool for social impact and civic engagement.
Schadenfreude: Thank You for Your Service moves through interwoven histories and lived experiences across places shaped by colonization, resistance, and survival. Each section exposes the ways power thrives on the suffering of others, how nations, systems, and ideologies extract profit and pleasure from oppression, while honoring the resilience, spirit, and endurance of those who continue to persist.
Joy is Resistance
Score: Rovion Reed
Dancers: Alyssa Foglia, Rachael Hutto, Allyson Ruble,
Raegan Nöelle Taylor, Yu-Ling Yeh
In Conversation
Video Interview: Fadi Odeh
Resistance Across Nations
Score: Pura Fe
Dancers: Alyssa Foglia, Allyson Ruble
Pledge to Joy
Score: Ashley Watson
Lyrics: Terrence Crosby, Britney Crosby, Elijah Alhadji Gibson
Vocals: Terrence Crosby
Dancers: Alyssa Foglia, Rachael Hutto, Allyson Ruble,
Raegan Nöelle Taylor, Yu-Ling Yeh
