MEGAN L. GARGANO (she/her) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio where she began her training in 2003 at the Royal School of Ballet under the direction of Joanne Hughes Morscher. In addition, Megan studied at The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, BalletMet, performed with The Pennsylvania Ballet and participated in several dance festivals throughout Ohio.
In 2012, Megan received her BFA in Performance and Choreography from Ohio University School of Dance where she developed her own artistic voice under the mentorship and direction of Madeleine Scott, Marina Walchli, Mickie Geller, Travis Gatling, Tresa Randall, John Bohuslawsky and Gladys Bailin. While studying at OU, Megan performed the reconstruction of Alwin Nikolais piece Noumenon Mobilus, under the direction of Alberto del Saz. She has performed in faculty works by Mickie Geller and guest work by Adriana Durant, Stefanie Batten Bland and Sean Curran. July 2010 Megan studied at the Laban Centre in Greenwich, London where she furthered her studies in Limon and Release Techniques, choreography and contact improvisation. In 2010 Megan set original work at the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights and in 2011 her work “Formally Phrased, with the exception of a few” was selected for adjudication at the American College Dance festival held at Grand Valley State University, Michigan.
In 2009, Megan co-founded The Movement Project, a professional dance company serving the communities of Cleveland and Akron. TMP’s mission is to challenge perspectives, evoke social change and bridge communities through the power of movement. TMP aims to redefine the status quo and questions predetermined notions of what should be. They do so by creating thought provoking work, providing affordable and accessible dance education and performances to all communities, making space for dance and providing programming and resources that supports the needs of today’s local artists.
In 2016, TMP launched Cleveland Dance Fest, an annual dance festival supporting Cleveland dance artists in the creation of new work, while making dance performance accessible and affordable to residents. Over the past 8 seasons, Cleveland Dance Fest has grown into a sustainable ecosystem embraced by artists from across Ohio, the regional Midwest, and beyond. Through the years, CDF funding partners have fueled our ability to maximize artist support, allowing us to pay over $43,500 towards artists since CDF’s inaugural year.
In addition to their programming in Cleveland, TMP has worked to provide resources to artists, families, and youth throughout the communities of Akron. TMP is committed to fostering the next generation of Akron artists through the development of sustainable and equitable practices for dance professionals. TMP's outreach programs have included The Akron Art Museum, Miller South School for Visual & Performing Arts, The University of Akron, and TMP’s annual year long residency at Firestone CLC. In 2023, TMP officially became a proud Pathway Partner with the College & Career Academies of Akron through Akron Public Schools. 2024 marked TMP’s first annual CDF | Akron Concert Series, an extension of the CDF platform, expanding artist resource support in Akron.