Isa Leal

Isa Leal (they/isa) is a Puerto Rican somatic researcher, performing artist, and PhD candidate in Performance Studies at the University of California, Davis, with a designated emphasis in Practice as Research. They are currently an Associate Instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance within the College of Letters and Science. Raised in Richmond, Virginia, and active in the Baltimore arts community, Isa’s work bridges performance, activism, and embodied research, focusing on empathetic action and dismantling performer-audience hierarchies.

• B.A. in Theatre and Dance, James Madison University (2006)
• MA in Performance Studies, UC Davis (2020)
• PhD in Performance Studies (expected 2024), UC Davis

Isa’s research centers on somatic practices such as Contact Improvisation and Authentic Movement, exploring how movement experimentation connects to human experience and pre-colonized ways of knowing. Their work invites audiences into visceral, participatory experiences that challenge perception and foster co-ontological agency. As a member of the internationally recognized Figure Space collective, Isa has collaborated with leading figures in somatic research.

Their recent performance works and lectures—including Composing with Living, Symptom of Capitalism, and Why Should You Care?—explore themes of race, empathy, capitalism, and knowledge that transcends verbal expression. These pieces often involve audience co-creation, ritual, and immersive engagement, reflecting a deep commitment to social change through art.

Isa has received several honors, including:

• Brad Boynton Award for Excellence in the Arts
• Alpha Psi Omega Honor Society, Stratford Players Scholarship
• Honorary Alumnus, Henrico Center for the Arts (2009)

They are deeply committed to community-building, founding the Ghost Family House—an art residency and performance space in Richmond, VA—dedicated to supporting marginalized artists. Isa has extensive teaching experience, including courses in embodied creativity, acting, and mindful movement, and has facilitated workshops nationally and internationally. Their ongoing research with Ian Faloona on Geophysical Dance underscores their interdisciplinary approach, merging art and science to develop new epistemologies.