Michael Figueroa

Michael Figueroa (he/him) is a performer, director of Ruckus Dance, and dance educator. His dances navigate rule-breaking, body memory, personal anecdotes, audience participation, and improvised situations. His work has been commissioned by SPACE Gallery (ME), Dance Now Boston, Outside the Box Festival, Mobius Artists Group (MA), and The Dance Complex. He has collaborated with Jimena Bermejo, Sonia Santvoord, Alexander Davis, and Sarah Mae Gibbons, and performed in works by Mark Dendy, Prometheus Dance, Margot Gelber & Dancers, Alternative Dance Nation, Public Displays of Motion, and Laila Franklin. Most recently, Michael performed ways of rendering a man blind at the 2024 Asheville Fringe Festival. As an inaugural teacher with Midday Movement Series in 2015, Michael received focused support and mentorship from Marissa Molinar, which continues to shape his teaching practice today. He has taught at Gibney Studios, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, NACHmo Boston, Moving Target (Boston & Portland), and Boston Arts Academy. Originally from Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Michael trained at Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts under Jan Goetz, performing works by Neta Pulvermacher, Troy Powell, and Margo Sappington. He attended summer intensives at Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary, American Dance Festival, and Bates Dance Festival. Michael earned his BFA in Dance from The Boston Conservatory.