Beaverton's aerial artist is a rising star

Mo-Nika Ell had to gain more than physical strength before he could take his place as up-and-coming aerial artist

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, Apr 30, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Jaime Valdez / The Beaverton Valley Times

Mo-Nika Ell, 20, feels right at home while performing acrobatics with an aerial hoop. To view a video of him in action, visit YouTube and type in “airhoop18.”

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Mo-Nika Ell’s hard work and passion for dancing are taking him places.

The 2007 Arts and Communication Magnet Academy graduate will be leaving in August for the University of Utah to study dance on a full-ride scholarship.

While working on his bachelor’s of fine arts degree, the 20-year-old plans to perform with an aerial dance company in Salt Lake City.

And this weekend, the contemporary circus performer will dazzle audiences with a haunting, original dance about the tragic search for a lost love in Pendulum Dance Theatre’s production of “NINE: An Evening of Unconfined Circus.”

“The audience can expect surprises and emotion,” Ell said of this weekend’s performances. “They will be drawn into a different world.

“It’s going to be a beautiful show.”

Suzanne Kenney, Pendulum’s executive director, said audiences are in for a treat when Ell takes the stage.

“He brings an element of elegance – he has a really unique way of moving,” said Kenney, who has watched him bloom as a performer in the past three years.

Ell has come a long way from the young high school junior who first auditioned for the company.

“He’s made an incredible transformation as a performer,” Kenney said. “Watching him, you can see he loves dance and circus equally.”

A new beginning

Ell was introduced to the dance world at Beaverton’s Arts and Communication Magnet Academy.

“I went to ACMA to study visual arts, painting and drawing,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate graduating with a dance major at all – it was a big surprise.”

Because the creative and performing arts school does not offer a traditional physical education class, Ell enrolled in dance.

“I swallowed my pride, put my feet into those pink slippers, went up to the barre, started doing ballet combinations and I was hooked instantly,” he said. “I fell in love with dance.

“I didn’t know my body could move like that. The dance studio became my home.”

Ell admits he wasn’t a typical dancer. As a freshman, the Cambodian American was short and stocky, weighing 210 pounds.

“I was very self-conscience about my weight,” he said.

Ell struggled with body image issues that led to a dangerous eating disorder and drastic weight loss.

When he returned to school as a sophomore weighing 140 pounds, classmates and teachers in the close-knit school expressed their concern for his health.

It took a heart-to-heart with ballet teacher Patricia Brewer-Jones to get him to recognize the unhealthy path he was on.

“It was a really hard time for me, but after I spilled everything out to her, I gained my footing,” he recalled. “I knew I had to change that microchip inside my head that wouldn’t let me touch a piece of food.

“I started to focus on a healthy path and started to build my confidence.”

Throwing himself into dance helped. He studied modern, tap, jazz, African, hip-hop and ethnic. He also performed with the school’s pre-professional group, Dance West, for three years.