Momentum Choreographers Showcase: Moving Surreal
October 14 @ 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Step into the intersection of movement and muralism as the 2025 Momentum Cohort Artists present original choreographic works inspired by our special exhibition, Outside In: New Murals Inspired by Dalí. These bold, immersive performances unfold within the gallery itself—bringing dance directly into conversation with the vibrant murals that surround them.
Presented in partnership with The Dalí Museum, Moving Surreal features new works by the 2025 Momentum Choreographic Mentorship Artist Cohort—Madison Pineda Bender, Justin Brock, Mariah Mashay, Fernando Chonqui and Faith Elizabeth Miller. Each dance-maker draws inspiration from Outside In, an exhibition highlighting the 10 year celebration of the SHINE Mural Festival.
Doors open at 7pm.
Location: The Dalí Museum’s Hough Gallery
Cost: $35 for Museum members | $40 for non-members
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Artist Cohort
Madison Pineda Bender
Madison Pineda Bender began her early dance training in Sacramento, CA, and Keller, TX. At 16, she moved to New York City to attend The Joffrey Ballet School Jazz and Contemporary Program. In 2021, she graduated from The Juilliard School with a B.F.A. in Dance, receiving the Martha Hill Award and the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship Grant. She also trained at Jacob’s Pillow, the Nederlands Dans Theater Summer Intensive and Arts Umbrella. Madison has performed works by Martha Graham, Crystal Pite and Paul Taylor, and new creations by Ohad Naharin, Desmond Richardson, Andrea Miller and Darrel Moultrie. She presented her work in Juilliard’s 2019 ChoreoComp and was Rena Butler’s choreographic assistant for Juilliard’s New Dances: Edition 2021. From 2022–2023, she was a company dancer and teaching artist with GroundWorks DanceTheater, performing new creations by Antonio Brown, Peter Chu, Rena Butler, David Shimotakahara, Spenser Theberge and Sidra Bell. She staged and rehearsed Butler’s choreography at George Mason University and was her assistant for a new creation at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Madison recently joined Peter Chu’s company, chuthis., performed at Orsolina28, premiered new work on Tampa City Ballet and appeared in Jason Hackenwerth’s Sparrow’s Dream. Most recently, she premiered a new solo by Chu and showcased her work, How Water Smoothes a Stone, at the BEACON 2025 festival. She looks forward to being a 2025 Momentum Artist and continuing to explore her artistic process.
Justin Brock
Justin Brock, a recent graduate of Harrison School of the Arts, received his training at Highland School of Dance in Lakeland. He has attended workshops and intensives with MODAS Dance, Florida Dance Arts and Florida Southern College among others. His performances over the years include The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland and The Sleeping Beauty. Justin is the 2024 recipient of the Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Foundation and is currently continuing his training as a dance major at Hillsborough Community College, as well as working on choreography opportunities such as “effeminate,” “Arboreal Cover” and “Travelers.”
Mariah Mashay
Maiah Mashay (she/her) is a mover, maker and mama. A proud first-generation graduate of Florida State University’s School of Dance, she is originally from Gainesville, Florida, where she began her training at Dance Alive National Ballet. She continued her dance education through the dual-enrollment program at Santa Fe College. Mariah’s most recent choreographic work explores generational trauma, trauma processing and embodied memory through improvisational score. Her work has been presented at the ACDA Southeast Conference, Santa Fe College and Florida State University.
Fernando Chonqui
Originally from Ecuador, Fernando Chonqui (he/him) is a USF Dance Program graduate who is actively exploring the rekindling of his dance making through identity, protest and collaboration. As a queer, immigrant artist, his choreographic-curiosity comes from personal and political themes through intentional, emotionally resonant movement. Reigniting their artistic practice, he looks to create work that fosters connection, uplifts marginalized voices and sparks meaningful dialogue.
Faith Elizabeth Miller
Faith has been dancing since the age of three, using movement as a way to tell stories and create connection. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from New World School of the Arts and has performed professionally with Atlas Modern Ballet and the Zubrick Magic Theater. She now teaches dance, studies aerial arts and works at a local pottery shop, continuing to explore creativity across different disciplines.
projectALCHEMY
Momentum Choreographic Mentorship
projectALCHEMY is a nonprofit international dance+ company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, engaging the dance community and local audiences through immersive interdisciplinary performance, affordable movement classes and dance artist development opportunities. We share the artistic talent of our community through live performance and online exchanges with dance companies around the world.
