Elyssa Sena

At eight years old, when asked what she wanted to be, Elyssa confidently answered: a “dancing doctor.” That answer hasn’t changed.

After graduating high school, she split her time between New York City and Paris, traveling across Europe to collaborate with emerging choreographers. These experiences introduced her to contemporary dance and a wide range of creative processes in dance theatre, ultimately inspiring her to enroll at the London Contemporary Dance School. There, she danced from dawn to dusk, worked closely with composers, and served as Student Governor representing artists across London’s small specialist institutions.

When COVID-19 struck, Elyssa co-led TutuTutoring, a program that created safe, social spaces for students to complete their online schoolwork in person. She also taught in after-school community art programs and began research with MindLeaps, a nonprofit that uses dance to help vulnerable youth transition back into education. In 2021, she traveled to Rwanda to complete her Tier II teacher training with the organization—a formative experience where she learned the vital difference between working with a community and working for it.

Most recently, Elyssa completed her Master’s Degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, the birthplace and global hub of Dance Science. It was during this time that she began to understand what being a “dancing doctor” truly means to her.

Elyssa is now based primarily in Nepal while still maintaining ties to the U.S. and London—where she works with ECC Nepal. The organization provides students with access to education and supports systems still reliant on rote memorization by introducing interactive, movement-based teaching. Elyssa supports outreach efforts and integrates creative movement into ECC’s interactive learning programs to enhance student engagement, particularly in English Language Arts.

Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a PhD and become a licensed Dance/Movement Therapist to deepen and expand the work she’s already doing. Her vision includes working in rural education, in clinical settings with pediatric patients, and in the studio—her natural habitat with elite performers.

Her current research explores how dance functions as a Positive Childhood Experience; its potential to enhance forebrain lateralization through rhythmic movement; how it builds neurological and emotional resilience in adolescents; and the intersection of interactive education, emerging urban pedagogies, and Dance/Movement Therapy principles.