S P A C E Rising Showcase

DISCO RIOT Presents...

S P A C E Rising Showcase

with the DISCO RIOT (R)evolution Artist Interns

October 10 & 11 at 7pm

at Grossmont College Performing & Visual Arts Center (PVAC)

20 Griffin Dr, San Diego, CA 92119

DISCO RIOT presents S P A C E Rising Showcase, the final presentation from our (R)evolution Artist Interns, Milana Aernova, Lauren Ai Ling Lee, Ilyana Hughes, Erik Izaak, and Niza Galindo. Through a 10-week artist residency process in collaboration with DISCO RIOT’s community partner Malashock Dance, our selected Resident Artists incubated the creation of five original interdisciplinary performances. Join us for the culminating live showcase to see what their creative research and exploration has yielded. Tickets are $15 for artist/student/low income, $25 for general admission, and $45 pay-it-forward.

Accessing the venue:

• Wheelchair accessible audience seating in 4th row on the right by the entrance to the theater with wheelchair accessible bathrooms with grab bars
• Motion activated push buttons on all doors at both feet and arm level
• Short ramp from the parking lot to the entrance of the theater
• Permission to leave at any time during the performance
• Lobby will have a live stream of the performance at low volume
• Grossmont College Performing & Visual Arts Center (PVAC) is ADA accessible
• Public Transit: The nearest bus stop is Grossmont College which services buses 115 and 854
• Parking: We suggest parking in Lot 1. Parking is free on campus on the weekends.

About the Artists & Their Works

Milana Aernova (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and creative technologist exploring states of being through movement, performance, and technology. She creates immersive experiences that bridge digital and human sensibilities, dissolving boundaries between disciplines and inviting audiences to feel into the beautiful complexity of our evolving relationship with the universe.

Milana’s multimedia performance explores how unseen forces shape movement through cymatics, real-time digital media, and somatic dance. Using motion tracking and TouchDesigner, the work visualizes the body's internal "particle dance," investigating the body not just as a vessel for expression, but as an alive, responsive system of intelligent particles. 

Lauren Ai Ling Lee (she/her) is a movement artist and dance maker currently based in San Diego. Her work centers themes of human resilience and relationships. Lauren is passionate about using movement as a mode of advocacy and community building. She strives to create and engage with work that explores authentic narratives and celebrates our common humanity.

Informed by her own experiences with scoliosis and spinal-fusion surgery, Lauren aims to use this process to explore the dichotomy of momentum and resistance. She is also interested in investigating how nonconformity can strengthen community. Lauren hopes to work interdisciplinarily, experimenting with tactility to research the space between tension and restraint.

Ilyana Hughes (she/her), originally from Dayton, Ohio, is an active performer, choreographer, and teacher in San Diego, California. Since receiving her BFA in Dance from Howard University (2023), Ilyana continues to explore the depths of her artistry as it stems from her experiences as a Black woman.

During this residency, Ilyana explores the relationship between art and artist by combining dance and paint. Taking a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, she explores how dance can live on in space and time as dancers paint a canvas with their movement alongside a traditional painter.

Erik Izaak (he/they) a Mexican American dancer and choreographer from unceded Kumeyaay land (San Diego), has explored dance for 10 years. Rooted in identity, community, and heritage, his work reflects human expression and connection. While earning his BA in Dance at CSU Fullerton, Erik had the opportunity to explore his artistic voice, leading to performances at the 2023 DUMBO Festival and his work “Temiqui” receiving recognition at the 2024 ACDA Gala.

During the residency, Erik explores the deep connection between ourselves and the infinite universe around us. Inspired by the spiraling journey of self-discovery and the themes of Everything Everywhere All At Once, this work embraces the beautiful chaos of life. Through movement, Erik explores themes of grief, loss, self-identity, and reconnection to inner power.

Niza Galindo (she/her), a San Diego-based dancer with a B.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, and has deep roots with transcenDANCE Youth Art Project where she works as an Apprentice Teaching Artist/Program Assistant. She is also one of five 2025 (R)evolution artists interns with DISCO RIOT and is completing prerequisites to apply to physical therapy schools.

Niza’s choreographic research is centered in the feeling of belonging. Her work explores the confusion that can come with isolation, the joy of shared experiences, and the underestimated power of being accepted.

About the (R)evolution Artist Program

DISCO RIOT’s (R)evolution Artist Program is a cohort-style immersive educational paid internship program focused on offering substantial and sustained support for San Diego-based emerging/rising dance artists. We provide a small group of Rising Artists (ages 20-26) a specially curated immersive experience in DISCO RIOT inner workings for a full programming season (January-October). The program includes free DISCO RIOT dance classes, monthly professional development workshops and cohort meetings, a monthly check-in with a uniquely designated mentor, opportunities to immerse themselves in performance and event production, apprenticeship opportunities with Malashock Dance Company, and a 10-week S P A C E residency.

For more information about the artists, visit: https://discoriot.org/revolution-artist-program-2025/


Our (R)evolution Artist Program 2026 applications opening soon! Follow @disco_riot on instagram, or subscribe to our newsletter for updates.