Dae Marcuz

Adrenaline pumping. Unbreakable trust. Conquering the mission. Don’t miss Escape, now in performances through June 2026! Photo Credit: @george_simian #diavolo #diavoloescape #performanceart #losangelesdance #todolosangeles dancelosangeles

Sharing some personal highlights from Act 2 of Escape by Diavolo | Architecture in Motion 📸: @george_simian & @cherylmannphoto

Sharing some personal highlights from Act 1 of ESCAPE by Diavolo | Architecture in Motion 📸: @george_simian & @cherylmannphoto

In honor of Veterans Day, our featured ‘Escape Artist’ is none other than Daemion! Daemion joined Diavolo ten years ago and is one of our incredible veteran members. We take immense pride in having his resilient strength on our team, and on this day, as well as every day, we are so grateful for his service. #VeteransDay #Veterans #MovementJourney #DIAVOLO #Dance #Performance #Education #LosAngeles #DanceOpportunities #audiodesign #diavolo #creativity #contemporarydance #contemporaryart #moderndance #dancer #movement #contemporarydancer #dancing #dancefestival #workshops #performances #danceintensive #winterintensive #performers #instadancer #diavoloarchitectureinmotion #jacquesheim #lightingdesign #liveshow

Loved having some time to create with @dae.nce I'm definitely enjoying these creative sessions! Dancers: @michelamelone.dance and @dae.nce Choreo:@michelamelone.dance and @dae.nce Video: @photo.chem #dança #dance #danza #professionaldancer #choreographer #ladancers #contemporarydance #creativity #dancevideos

The Journey: Year 10 [2023-2024] I got to perform with Diavolo for two major projects. The first was Existencia, an evening length piece to concentrate the 30th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake. The second was performing the opening act of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards with Dua Lipa! Both engagements were surreal experiences and I am still immensely grateful for these opportunities. Also, I decided I needed to go on more adventures and luckily that has been happening quite steadily. Attended the Brewery Art walk and saw a lot of interesting and weird stuff. Got to take my Water Tribe outfit for a spin on Halloween. Went to a metal concert and saw Amaranthe and Dragon Force. Met Brandon Tan at a Pokemon Go event and caught some pretty sweet mons. Lastly, I've been doing a lot of Trust shows with Volo to close out the academic school year. Going into summer, I am losing a lot of safety nets, which is quite daunting, but definitely necessary if I'm going to keep growing as a person and expanding my professional career. Looking forward to new jobs and opportunities.

I had the honor and privilege of performing with Diavolo in the world premier of their first evening-length piece, Existencia. This work was commissioned to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the Northridge earthquake. @diavolo_la @jacques_heim_dvlo PC: @cherylmannphoto

Mind, body, soul… that’s what it takes - dancers @dae.nce and @jrllws prepping their bodies for the extensive days ahead with @diavolo_la for our world premiere of EXISTENCIA! January 17|19 2024 at the Soraya Stage! #choreographer #choreography #performance #warmup #creation #dancela #losangeles #movement #connection #partnering #30yesrsago

Tenderness between - a soft moment with veteran @diavolo_la dancer @simongweenbug and actual marine veteran @dae.nce during creation. #tenderness #creation #choreography #artistry #movement #connection #research #symbiosis #dance #partnering #contemporarydance #together #touch

The Journey: Year 9 [2022-2023] Part 2 Moved to Los Angeles and started working with Volo. Redeemed myself at the winter workshop that featured Transit Space, as the last time I played on the ramps, I narrowly avoided getting a concussion. Got a second job as a ninja coach in West Covina. Also, started teaching gymnastics and have been getting some personal training for myself on the side. I saw the Green Table, by Kurt Jos, performed by the Paul Taylor Company. I have a bit of history with this ballet, as I wrote three separate research papers on this work while attending university. Never thought I'd actually get a chance to see it in person. I finally got to perform the Knockturn Duet with Volo. Initially, I learned this piece in the spring of 2020, but had to wait almost three years to actually dance it. Visited the Griffith Observatory, made it out to the beach, and visited Disneyland for the first time. Also, saw a bunch of familiar faces at the ACDA National Gala. Life has been treating me pretty well.

The Journey: Year 9 [2022-2023] Part 1 Post-graduation, I was invited to join Creators Dance Project for its inaugural season. Most were UVU alumni so it felt like an extension of my time with CDE and Synergy. As summer passed to winter, I attended several dance and music concerts. I got to see Eivør in Los Angeles and Momix in Orem, both of which were phenomenal experiences. I got to work with Esprit d.c. for their first show at UVU and Synergy DC for my last show as a Stage Technician at the Noorda. Crazy how time passes, to think, I worked there for almost 18 months. Especially grateful to Aja and Cristian for teaching and training me. I also made a return to Diavolo and the Veterans Project during the second half of the year. The company restaged and enhanced the piece as a continuation and expansion of the project, where we then performed in Houston. Lastly, at the end of the year I took a mini adventure around Utah before packing up and moving out to Cali to work with Volo, the education company of Diavolo.

"December always reminds me of reality of sacrifice." Last November, I flew out to Los Angeles to join Diavolo and the Veterans Project. I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into. In my mind, I was meant to perform while taking part in an exchange of ideas between military veterans and civilian dancers. I wasn't wrong, but I also didn't understand the scope and deeper purpose of the project. Over the course of the year, Diavolo built a community to allow veterans the ability to be vulnerable and honest, where we could resurface traumatic events from our services, face them as a collective, and remind ourselves how strong we truly are. We created a haven for all of us to heal. Along the way, I reignited my own passion for dance and the performing arts. I felt alive again after wandering for so long inside a mental fog. I felt seen, heard, understood. I felt accepted, healed, and loved. PC: @melissataylor_photography