Training Student Showcase: Melissa Padilla Ortega, Dina Rulli-Heaphey, Morgan Ziegler

February 27, 2026
7:00 PM ET
Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center
The Theater (Studio H)

Gibney Education proudly presents an evening of work by Melissa Padilla Ortega, Dina Rulli-Heaphey, and Morgan Ziegler. Experience the work of our full time training students in a culminating performance of their time as a Gibney Professional Training student.

MELISSA PADILLA ORTEGA

Melissa Padilla is a contemporary dance and scenic artist with over 11 years of professional experience in Mexico and internationally. She is co-founder of SISU Dance Company and was a core member of Lux Boreal Dance Company for six years, working as a performer, choreographer, and teacher. She was a guest dancer in In C by Sasha Waltz & Guests at the 2023 Guadalajara International Book Fair. Her work has been presented at festivals throughout Mexico, the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Melissa facilitates Continuum floorwork-based training workshops, shared in diverse contexts including independent programs and academic settings such as San Diego State University. She recently completed the Independent Training Program – Choreographic Track at Gibney.

DINA RULLI-HEAPHEY

Dina Rulli-Heaphey (She/Her) is a versatile interdisciplinary artist originally from Springfield, OH and currently based in NYC. She began her dance training at Gary Geis School of Dance and then trained at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy before becoming a Trainee with BalletMet. While at BalletMet she created new works on the Trainees and on the Advanced Academy students. Throughout her training she has performed works by Edwaard Liang, Dmitri Suslov, Andres Estevez, Zoica Tovar, Sarah Hairston Berkley, Ihaiah Miller, Zack Grubbs, Gary Geis, Mark Cummings, Bethany Logan, Ben Kubie, Tracie Gilchrest Kubie and many others. She has also assisted teaching the Advanced Tap class at Gary Geis School of Dance under the direction of Lori Gaver, the Advanced Modern class at BalletMet Academy under the direction of Sarah Dove, and has taught dance at the Upward Bound Summer Program. Over the course of her more advanced training she has attended the summer programs of Colorado Ballet, BalletWest, BalletMet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Louisville Ballet, and Safety Release Technique. Additionally she is pursuing a degree in sociology to inform her movement practice and choreography as well as her work in political organizing. Constantly inspired by society and the world around her, Dina is continuing to create new works.

GIBNEY INDEPENDENT TRAINING PROGRAM

The Gibney Independent Training offers students from across the world the opportunity to train full time at Gibney, New York City’s premier destination for contemporary dance. Training Students at Gibney have the opportunity to train with NYC’s foremost dance educators, gain practical skills toward building a sustainable career in the arts, and join a network of incredible dance artists. Each Training Student in the Choreographic Process Track spends six to twelve months creating and producing an original work, culminating in a final performance in The Theater at Gibney.