Early in her career, achugar danced for various choreographers, some of whom were involved in the New York downtown dance scene. Her choreographers included
chameckilerner,
John Jasperse, Jeremy Nelson,
Maria Hassabi, and Wil Swanson. From 1999 to 2003, achugar created works in collaboration with dancer Levi Gonzalez. In their 2001 piece
Hit, dancers repeatedly slap each other. After 2002, achugar composed pieces for all-female casts. She was one of the creators of the group piece
Franny and Zooey in 2007. For the 2012
River to River Festival achugar presented
FEELingpleasuresatisfactioncelebrationholyFORM in
Battery Park City. The work was shown in May 2012 at the
Abrons Arts Center. The piece includes "ritualistic repetition of articulated leg positions" and naked dancers who attempt to put on denim jeans without the use of their hands. It was also performed at the
New York Live Arts theater in 2014. A reviewer compared the performance to those of
The Living Theatre, describing it as "audacious but tough to endure." She took part in the 2014 body-as-sculpture exhibition
Le Mouvement at the Centre PasquArt in
Biel, Switzerland. Her piece,
The Pleasure Project , through its use of the nudity of "uncomfortable" bodies, was one of the only works to address sexuality. Her piece
Puro Teatro: A Spell for Utopia debuted at the Chocolate Factory Theater in 2021. Achugar has received two
Bessie Awards. In 2011, she was named to
Dance Magazine's
"25 to Watch". She was awarded with a
Creative Capital grant and a
Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. She was a 2022 Doris Duke Fellow at
Bennington College where she has undertaken master's coursework. ==References==