Susanne McHugh is a dancer, choreographer, and mental health advocate living in Queens, New York. She is a Philadelphia native and has been living in New York City since 2014. Susanne’s focus while growing up was on classical ballet until shifting her focus to modern dance and choreography during her teenage years. Susanne went on to study at SUNY Purchase before continuing her studies at University of the Arts, graduating in 2014 with a BFA in Dance. UArts awarded her the Nadia Chilkousky Award for Creativity and Dance-Making for her senior thesis “Choke”: a dance work illustrating her experience with the psychiatric medication industry. In August 2018, Susanne participated in the inaugural Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellows Program at Jacob’s Pillow and has since had residencies hosted by New Dance Alliance, CHEN Dance Center, Mare Nostrum Elements, and Larussa QNZdanz(+) Artist Residency. Susanne recently completed the  EmergeNYC 2024 Flagship Fellowship at Brooklyn Arts Exchange in June 2024. Susanne’s work has received funding from the NYFA City Corps Grant and the NYFA Barbara and Carl Zydney Grant for Artist with Disabilities. She has presented works at The Drake Theater and Suzanne Roberts Theater in Philadelphia as well as the Hudson Guild Theater, Greenspace, Bridge for Dance, Triskelion Arts, Spoke the Hub, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Dixon Place, and the Connelly Theater in New York. Susanne brings her lived experience with mental illness to her artistic work and works full-time on the Helpline at National Alliance on Mental Illness NYC.