Mariia Bakalo (she, her) is a Ukrainian dancer, choreographer, educator. Currently an MFA candidate in UCR’s Experimental Choreography program. Her first master’s degree is in theory of literature.

At this point of her artistic development, Mariia Bakalo is deeply invested in the questions of the role of art in the time of war. In her before-the-war reality, Mariia's artistic research focus integrated two of her biggest passions which are literature and dance. She has been dancing since 2011. In 2014 after Crimea annexation, she moved to Lviv, where joined the Choreography department of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. In 2017 she left teaching in the university for working independently and with social and cultural environment in her hometown, taking part in diverse experimental projects, providing her dance training to general public, infusing the way for somatics dance practitioners’ community to shape and grow. With this aim she founded a non-profit organization Contemporary Dance Space.
In 2017 and 2018 Mariia worked for the festival of classic music LvivMozart providing choreography for several opera projects. Her collaboration as a dancer with Candoco Dance Company within the project initiated by British Council has driven her to initiate and choregraph several inclusive projects for artists with special bodies. As a member of inclusive dance projects, she toured in Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan. Her dance piece “From the Archive” was invited to be represent Ukraine on the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Algeria (2019). In 2022 she led workshops and choreographed a dance piece for cultural institutions in Germany and Lithuania.

Mariia was honored to receive grants from diverse programs of Goethe Institute, House of Europe, Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, I-portunos, Danceweb. As a dancer and choreographer, she collaborated with various Ukrainian cultural institutions, art residencies, dance companies from Germany, Austria, Lithuania, UK. Gluck Fellow in 2022-2023, 2023-2024 years.

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