Elijah Alhadji Gibson, dance educator, choreographer, and activist founded Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theater in 2019 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. He currently serves as Associate Program Director of the Dance Science program 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.