Our Mission

SoMar Dance Works is committed to the creation and presentation of original contemporary dance works that enrich, enilghten, and entertain audiences in Erie and the tri-state region. 

About SoMar

SoMar Dance Works features the dances of Solveig and Mark Santillano. Serving as co-artistic directors, choreographers, and dancers, Solveig and Mark are seasoned performers who have danced all over the world. Their work is know for its artistry, physicality, wit, and creativity. Their choreography has been influenced by their association with their former companies, Pilobolus Dance Theatre and Momix.

SoMar Dance Works made its premier in 1999 at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. Since that time, SoMar has performed at the Erie Festival of Dance, the American College Dance Festival, Celebrate Erie, The Brick Church for the Performing Arts in Lovell, Maine, Unitarian Universalists in Community concert, Luther Memorial Concert Series, The Fredonia Opera House, Grand Valley State University, overseas in Gothenburg, Sweden, and numerous Mercyhurst University programs, where the company is in-residence. SoMar Dance Works has also appeared in concert with Lake Erie Ballet, Dafmark Dance Theatre, and Erie Dance Conservatory. As a team, Solveig and Mark have co-choreographed dances for the School Of Performing Arts in New Milford, CT, and the San Diego Civic Dance Arts.

Thanks in part to a several grants from Erie Arts & Culture, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Mercyhurst University, SoMar Dance Works has presented a number of concerts for the Erie community. These include: SoMar Dance Works in Concert (2007); A Desperate Cry for ATTENTION! (2008); Nature Calls (2008); Dis-Ease: A Coming Out (2009); SoMar So Far (2009); Movers & Shakers (2010); Project Abolition (2011); Beyond Words (2011); In Her Shoes (2012); Beyond Words II (2012); a mid-SoMar Night's Dream (2013); Beyond Words III (2013).