Photos by Lexi Dysart

you never meet me in the mythical forest

you never meet me in the mythical forest is an invitation into the heart and an invocation of the animate forces of the forest for celebration. Created for CO- Seattle’s inaugural show in 2025.

Reaching for The Ground

Commissioned by The Alfred University Interdisciplinary Dance Program in 2023 and performed by student artists, Reaching for The Ground explores earth-shaping movement ideas inspired by N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy.

Ashen

Cayla Mae opened the inaugural show of the Oklahoma Dance Festival in 2021 with the solo Ashen. The work explores the grief of a phoenix before it is reborn. Ashen was originally premiered at Southern Methodist University’s Brown Bag Dance Series. This piece is currently being expanded into an evening-length work.

Freezing Paradise

Freezing Paradise premiered in the spring of 2017 in Dallas, TX at the Bob Hope Theater, SMU Meadows School of the Arts. The work is a love letter to Cayla’s parents and brother. An ethereal retelling of their story through movement and the elements. The work served as Cayla’s capstone and integrated her artistry in choreography, dance, film, scenery, and scoring.

Dancers: Salvatore Bonilla, Reid Conlon, Kathryn Rygiel, and Cayla Mae Simpson
Lighting Design: by Andrew Garvis

FOXLAND

Cayla is half of the choreography duo Calvator Dance. In collaboration with Salvatore Bonilla, Cayla has choreographed works that have been performed in Dallas, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Some of their works include FOXLAND, The New in The Old, and CALVATOR.