Thoughtfully crafted to elevate what matters most.
Big Ideas, Real Relevance. Big Ideas, Real Relevance.
Big Ideas, Real Relevance. Big Ideas, Real Relevance.
Our Inaugural Performance:
The Curtain
The Relevé Collaborative’s first performance will be held at the Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston on Friday, April 2, 2027.
The Relevé Collaborative has commissioned three new works to be choreographed by Aimee Kilgore, Rachel Van Buskirk, and another choreographer to be announced.
ELISSA FONSECA, dancer
Elissa Fonseca is originally from Pleasant Grove, Utah, and has been dancing professionally for twelve years. Elissa started training at six years old, focusing on ballet, but also in contemporary, jazz, tap, and Irish dancing. In high school, she trained with Utah Regional Ballet (now Utah Metropolitan Ballet) and danced with the second company for 3 years. Elissa spent two very formative summers in college dancing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Summer Lee Rhatigan.
Elissa graduated with a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah in 2014, and then joined Salt Lake City based company SALT Contemporary Dance for four seasons. In 2018, Elissa moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she was a company member with Minnesota Dance Theatre for four seasons. Elissa joined Vitacca Ballet in Houston, Texas in 2022, and recently completed her fourth season there.
In college and throughout her professional career, Elissa has worked with renowned artists such as Summer Lee Rhatigan, Bobbi Jene Smith, Peter Chu, Val Caniparoli, Garrett Smith, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Banning Bouldin, Alex Ketley, Lise Houlton, Sean Aaron Carmon, Hélène Simoneau, Andrea Dawn Shelley, Tina K. Bohnstedt, Gabrielle Lamb, Brendan Duggan, and many more.
Elissa is now a freelance dancer in Houston, TX, has a young daughter with her husband, and is excited to be a part of The Relevé Collaborative!
LAURA HILLEY, dancer
Ms. Hilley began training at Mobile Ballet at age three. As her passion for the art grew and her performance opportunities increased—under the artistic direction of Winthrop Corey—she became singularly focused on dance.
After multiple summer intensives in New York City, first with American Ballet Theatre and then with The School of American Ballet, Ms. Hilley relocated to Houston to train full-time with Houston Ballet Academy on merit scholarship. While there, she had numerous opportunities to perform works by Stanton Welch and Ben Stevenson O.B.E. with Houston Ballet.
Ms. Hilley then became a member of Cincinnati Ballet, where she worked with choreographer Adam Hougland and toured with the company to The Kennedy Center. Some of her favorite reps include Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, and Septime Webre’s Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
After leaving Cincinnati Ballet, Ms. Hilley returned to Houston and joined Uptown Dance Company, where she was a company member, instructor, and director of marketing and communications for five seasons. Afterwards, Ms. Hilley went freelance and started teaching at Memorial Dance Center, Houston Ballet, and Coomer Ballet Conservatory—where she is currently the pre-professional lower school director.
With her love of teaching and performing, she is sought as a guest performer and master instructor throughout the Houston community and region.
Ms. Hilley is the founder and artistic director of The Relevé Collaborative.
AIMEE KILGORE, choreographer and dancer
Aimee Kilgore (she/her) is a freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in Houston, TX. She grew up in the Houston area training under Sharon Teague and Lauren Anderson, performing lead roles in Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Petipa’s Paquita, La Sylphide, and more. She supplemented her classical ballet training at HSPVA where she graduated as dance major. After spending summers studying with companies such as Ballet West, LINES, SALT, and Batsheva Dance Company, she went on to graduate summa cum laude from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program in San Francisco where she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Alonzo King, FLOCK, Maurya Kerr, Liv Schaffer, Christian Burns, Dexandro Montalvo, and more. Through LINES and SF GYROTONIC, she earned her GYROTONICⓇ Pre-Training Certification under Debra Rose and strives to integrate this deep, kinesthetic knowledge into her movement and teaching practices.
Aimee has been a teaching artist with Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement program since 2022, and currently serves as the director for Coomer Ballet’s Pre-Professional Upper School in Pearland. She continues to engage in project-based work with artists from Houston and beyond. Outside of dancing and teaching, Aimee is in her final year of her Master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy. She is thrilled to be a part of The Relevé Collective as both a dancer and choreographer!
Rachel Van Buskirk, choreographer and dancer
Rachel Van Buskirk is a celebrated dancer, choreographer, educator, and co-founder of Atlanta’s Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. She began her dance training with the Royal Academy of Dance, earning her Advanced R.A.D. certification, and continued her studies under Li Yaming of Coastal City Ballet. Rachel danced professionally with Atlanta Ballet for 13 years, performing in featured roles across a wide range of classical and contemporary works by renowned choreographers. Highlights include North American premieres of David Bintley’s Carmina Burana as the principal lead “Fortuna”, Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, and the world premiere of Lauri Stallings’s big with Big Boi from Outkast. Her favorite roles include "Lucy" in Micheal Pink’s Dracula, “Autumn” in James Kedulka’s Four Seasons, and the duet in Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16. Other featured works include Ohad Naharin’s Secus, Alexei Ratmanksy’s Seven Sonatas, Alex Eckman’s Cacti, and Christopher Wheeldhon’s Rush.
Rachel has been recognized for her artistry and leadership, appearing on the cover of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” named to ArtsATL’s “30 Under 30,” and honored with a Nonprofit Leadership Award. As co-founder of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre and Terminus Ballet School, she has expanded her role as a choreographer & creative director with works like Secrets, Peter & the Wolf, The Nutcracker Suite, and The Wave Breaks, which was awarded Regional Dance America’s National Choreography Award in May 2025. Rachel is a NASM-certified personal trainer and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Georgia State University with a bachelor’s in business management. This fall she begins a master’s in arts leadership at the University of Houston to deepen her arts-administration skills alongside her wealth of creative experience. Beyond her artistic and academic pursuits, she embraces her most rewarding role—motherhood— and is thrilled to join the community behind The Relevé Collaborative.