The Director
Meet Ms.Alia
Alia Montijo is a distinguished performer, creator, and arts leader based in Chicago, Illinois, with international recognition for her contributions to the fields of dance, choreography, and screendance. She holds a BFA in Dance and Arts Administration from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University. In July, 2026, Alia will continue her education with the one-year Alvin Ailey Teacher Certification Program.
Throughout her career, Alia has performed professionally with esteemed companies including The Joel Hall Dancers, Thodos Dance Chicago as a guest artist, Inaside Chicago Dance, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit, among others. From 2014–2018, she served as Artistic Director of Noumenon Dance Ensemble, earning both local and national acclaim for her bold and evocative choreographic work. She has also collaborated independently with celebrated visual artist Nick Cave in his acclaimed production Here/Hear, and her performance work spans stage, screen, and experimental film.
Alia’s creative work and leadership have been recognized with numerous honors, including: 2026 Young Leaders Fund/Chicago Community Trust, 2025 induction to the Civic Actor Studio at the University of Chicago, 2024 (ongoing) residency with The Logan Foundation at Movement on Montrose, a 2023 Individual Artist Program grant from Chicago’s DCASE for her work The Third
Culture, 2021 Honorable Mention from the Toronto Contact International Dance Festival, Audience Choice Award from Dance/Media Japan for The Blood Harvest , and 2019 Best in Live Performance at the Venice International Art Festival. Additional accolades include being named a Career Advancement Scholar by the American Association of University Women (2018), a Phi Kappa Phi inductee for Academic Excellence and Research (2019), and a finalist for The Ohio State University’s Young Alumni Achievement Award (2020).
Alia is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dance Avondale, a neighborhood dance academy dedicated to fostering access, equity, and excellence in dance, fitness, and aerial education, a role she considers her most meaningful professional achievement. She is also a co-producer of the Montrose International ScreenDance Festival (MISDF), a growing platform celebrating the intersection of dance and film on an international scale.
In addition to her work at Dance Avondale, Alia is currently on faculty at Loyola University Chicago and has previously taught at North Central College, Roosevelt University, Columbia College Chicago, and as guest faculty at The Ohio State University, Jacksonville University, and for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).