Alia Simon 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.

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Throughout her career, Alia has performed professionally with esteemed companies including Dance Avondale Collective, The Joel Hall Dancers, Thodos Dance Chicago (guest artist), Inaside Chicago Dance, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. 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. Visit her IMDb page for more information.

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Alia’s creative work and leadership have been recognized with numerous honors, including induction to the 2025 University of Chicago Civic Actor Studio, 2024 anchor tenancy with The Logan Foundation, 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 for Capturing Ephemerality. Additional accolades include being named a Career Advancement Scholar by the American Association of University Women in 2018, a Phi Kappa Phi inductee for Academic Excellence and Research in 2019, and a finalist for The Ohio State University’s Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2020.

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Alia is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dance Avondale, a neighborhood studio dedicated to fostering access, equity, and excellence in dance education, a role she considers her most meaningful professional achievement. She is also the Producer and Co-Director of the Montrose International Screendance Festival (MISDF), a growing platform celebrating the intersection of dance and film hosted at Facets Film Forum in Chicago.

 

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).

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For more about Alia’s work and ongoing projects, please visit her professional portfolio.