LNXdance Podcast

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Welcome back to LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari! Our guest for this episode is the inspiring David Herrera. We are so honored to share his story with you. Enjoy!

Learn More: www.dhperformance.org
Instagram: DHPC

Comparte el amor with our guest, and let us know your favorite part of this chat. We want to thank David for making this Sip & Chat happen and sharing his story with us!

David Herrera is a choreographer, producer, and community leader in San Francisco, California, whose work centers Latinx/e voices, aesthetics, and narratives through David Herrera Performance Company. He is also the Director of the Latinx Hispanic Dancers United initiative.

David grew up in Hollywood, CA influenced by his culturally diverse neighborhood and his Mexican and American heritages. He advocates to provide Latinx/e and BIPOC artists opportunities while challenging non-equitable practices in the modern dance field. In 2007, he launched David Herrera Performance Company to respond to the lack of Latinx visibility and representation. He has created over 30 works including evening-length productions ÒRALE!, The Tip of My Tongue, The Least of Them, TOUCH, and Slumber.  His work has been presented at the Austin Dance Festival, Mix&Match Festival, ODC's Walking-Distance Festival, Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers, SJ Dance Company's "Choreoproject", and more.

David leads the national network Latinx Hispanic Dancers United, which serves the national Latinx/e/a/o dance community, and is the director and mentor of LatinXtensions, a 12-month mentorship program for emerging Latinx/e/a/o dance artists.

David is a recipient of the National Latino Arts & Culture Leadership Fellowship and Bridge Live Art’s Community Engagement Residency. In 2023, David was a Co-Curator for the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival's "Choreofest".  He served as advisor to the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers, Isadora Duncan Awards Committee, and is a founding member of Dancing Around Race, a community program dedicated to the discussion and implementation of cultural equity in the dance sector led by Gerald Casel. David has also mentored homeless individuals through the Community Housing Partnership in SF. He serves as Deborah Slater's Studio 210 Residency mentor.

David holds B.A.s in American Studies

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Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari! Our guest for this episode is our wonderful and beautiful friend Natalia Mesa. We are so honored to share her story with you. Enjoy!

Natalia on IG: https://www.instagram.com/natalia.mesah/
Ballet Hispanico's Community Arts: https://www.ballethispanico.org/community/community-arts-partnerships
LXDEA: https://www.latinxdanceeducatorsalliance.com/

BAAND Together Festival: FREE Latin Social Class July 30th
https://lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city/dance-workshop-with-ballet-hispanico-194

Comparte el amor with our guest, and let us know your favorite part of this chat. We want to thank Natalia for making this Sip & Chat happen and sharing her story with us!

Natalia Mesa (Community Engagement Director) holds a master’s degree in performance arts administration from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in industrial design with a minor in business administration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. Her dance training started at Ballarte Escuela de Ballet and Ballet Anna Pavlova in Bogotá. Early in her dance career, she won an honorary mention on the V Encuentro para Estudiantes de Ballet, in Habana, Cuba, obtained a scholarship for the ballet program at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and later moved to New York where she completed her dance education at The Ailey School. Her experience in arts in education started at La Fundación Niños de Los Andes in Bogotá where she developed and implemented creative dance workshops with youth survivors of domestic violence. During her years working at Battery Dance, she managed the Battery Dance Festival, implemented arts in education programs into the New York public school system, and supported dance education programs in Latin America. In 2018, she was a panelist in support of 16 Days Against Gender-Based violence organized by RESIU within the U.S. State Department. Natalia recognizes the arts as a medium for social change that fosters dialogue, builds community, and changes misconceptions.

Natalia Mesa is currently the Community Engagement Director for Ballet Hispanico's Community Arts Partnerships d

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari! Our guest for this episode is the beautiful Katherine Jimenez. We are so honored to share her story with you. Enjoy!

Kathy on IG: katherinejimenez_official
Ailey Extensions: www.alvinailey.org/extension/instudio/mambo
NYU, Dance Ed: steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs/dance-education
Streaming Platform: KJON2.com
Combinacion Perfecta and Eddie Torres: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWXO5uW-PUs

Comparte el amor with our guest, and let us know your favorite part of this chat. We want to thank Katherine for making this Sip & Chat happen and sharing her story with us!

Katherine Jiménez is a multifaceted figure in the world of dance. She was born in NYC and received training, taught, and graduated from The Ailey School and the Professional Performing Arts High School. With a passion for Latin dance, Katherine became a prominent figure in the scene, training under esteemed masters of NY Style Mambo. 

Katherine has performed internationally, gracing stages of City Center, The United Palace, Hostos, Radio City Music Hall, and Lincoln Center alongside esteemed artists like Tony Vega, Johnny Pacheco, Andy Montanez, Marvin Santiago, Willie Colon, Charanga America, and many others. In addition, Katherine has also served as a judge for the World Salsa Summit, helping fellow dancers refine their craft.

Having successfully earned a master's degree in Dance Education from NYU Steinhardt, Katherine is on a mission to make dance and movement tools accessible to all. To achieve this, she founded her own streaming platform, KJon2.com, which aims to support and inspire individuals of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds worldwide. As well as a professor for NYU Steinhardt School in the Dance Education program. 

Throughout her career, Katherine has earned recognition as the first NY Style Mambo instructor at The Ailey School through the Ailey Extension and at The Professional Performing Arts High School. She has conducted workshops for Alvin Ailey's Arts in Education Teaching Artists. She has been featured on various media platforms, including PIX11, The New York Times, The Sherri Show, Cheddar News with Shannon

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari! Our guest for this episode is the lovely Ahtoy Juliana. We are so honored to share her story with you. Enjoy!

Ahtoy on IG: ahtoyjuliana
Baila Society: https://www.bailasociety.com/

Comparte el amor with our guest, and let us know your favorite part of this chat. We want to thank Ahtoy for making this Sip & Chat happen and for sharing her story with us!

Ahtoy grew up in Guam and has indigenous CHamoru and Cuban ancestry. She has been part of the Afro-Latinx dance community since moving to NYC at 17.  Ahtoy began her professional dance training in Guam and studied classical ballet and modern dance with the Houston and San Francisco Ballet Companies. Ahtoy’s salsa career began in 2003 with Santo Rico, where she was a principal dancer and instructor. Ahtoy has performed with Billy Fajardo, Santo Rico, The Hustle Collective, Team Fajardo, and The New York Movement.

Ahtoy formed BAILA Society in 2006 with Daniel Enskat and Joseph Rivera. As Artistic Director, she has created over three dozen works that are showcased worldwide. She is currently dancing with Edwin Tolentino. Together they hold numerous world champion titles in Salsa and Latin Hustle. Ahtoy & Edwin are proud to represent Latin Hustle in the salsa industry, where they are showcasing and restoring the Latinx and Queer heritage of Latin Hustle. Ahtoy is a founding judge of the World Salsa Summit and adjudicates national and international competitions. She co-founded the United States Latin Social Dance Championship and The Youth Summit Championship.

Ahtoy was a dancer in the “In the Heights” film adaptation. In 2022, she joined the cast of “Do the Hustle”, featured at Jacob’s Pillow and Guggenheim Museum. Ahtoy is in the faculty of Peridance Center and Ailey Extension. She is a member of the Latinx Dance Educators Alliance.

Recently, Ahtoy co-founded Not Just Chisme, an alliance that seeks to address sexual misconduct, race & gender inequality, and abuse of power in the Afro-Latinx social dance industry. 

Ahtoy has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Master degrees in Public Health and Epidemiology, and a PhD in Epidemiology, all fr

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season of LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

Join us as we kick off this season with our first guest, Brianna Rios. We are so thrilled to share Bri's story with you... enjoy!

Based out of NYC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from St. Francis College, and dancing since the age of 4, Brianna has continued to follow her passion through performing, teaching, and competing internationally. At 18 years old, she became the youngest professional World Champion in the Salsa On2 division and now, is a 10x World Champion who’s had the opportunity to judge international competitions and even represent the USA in the 2017 World Games held in Poland.

Aside from the stage, Brianna can be found on the big screen as a featured dancer in movies such as Shine and Warner Bros.’ In The Heights.

With an eye for detail and a sense of responsibility to share her talents, Brianna is known for her thorough explanations and teaching style. Her goal is to make a long-lasting impact on her students’ dancing. She encourages them to ask for knowledge, not steps. It’s common for dancers to forget a choreography, but it’s their skills that will last forever.

Find Bri on IG: brianna__rios

Bri's Team on IG: Reflexiones.De.Rios

Bri's FuegoDance Shoes Code: BriFuego (10% off)

Blend NY Article:
https://blendnewyork.com/brianna-rios/

Comparte el amor  with our guest by leaving a comment, and let us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to Brianna Rios for making this Sip & Chat happen and for sharing her story with us!

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season with LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

In this episode, Marcus and Mari catch up on what they have been up to... lots of updates, changes, and growth for this duo. They also look back at the interviews they conducted during the Spring time and have a few thoughts to share. Listen in to get all the tea.

Comparte el amor with us by leaving a comment and following up on Instagram LNXdance. Let us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to all of our guests this Season for your willingness to share your stories and for your vulnerability—for making Season 3 happen!

A few things that came up in this show:

MotionScoop Dance Academy: 2024 Summer Intensives

B.I.G. Salsa Congress: New York City

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season of LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

Join us for this super inspiring episode as we have the privilege of interviewing the one and only Dr. Bruno Rodriguez, Ph.D. Check out his biography below and listen in to find out how he juggles it all: doctoral degree in Microbiology, cross-genre training, AND international career as a dancer, performer, and educator!

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Bruno Rodriguez began his salsa training at the age of 9 under the direction of Julie Mayoral, Nalliene Velez, and Jayson Molina. He won his first junior world championship at the age of 11 and started training in jazz at the age of 14. After winning his first soloist professional world title in 2014, Bruno moved to Penn State University to pursue a Master’s in Forensic Chemistry, where he also choreographed and directed the Performance Team of the Penn State Ballet Club. He then moved to New York City in 2017 to pursue his academic and salsa dancing career. Bruno won his second soloist world title in 2018 at the La Negra International Championship in Spain and started his professional partnership with Karel Flores in 2018. In December 2022, Bruno earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the NYU School of Medicine and joined the Biology adjunct faculty of Hunter College while traveling and teaching alongside Karel Flores at multiple international salsa events.

Comparte el amor  with our lovely guest by leaving a comment on this episode and letting us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to Dr. Bruno Rodriguez for making this Sip & Chat happen and for sharing his story with us!

Dr. Bruno on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/thebrunorodriguez/

Adjunct Professor:
https://hunter.cuny.edu/

Published Article:
https://www.nature.com/article

LNX x FuegoDanceShoes Brand Ambassadors
Añadele Sazón by wearing Fuego Shoes! Use our code LNX10 for 10% off. Click the link to learn more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season of LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

Join us for this special episode as we welcome the amazing Mariana Ranz (BFA, MA), to our podcast. Check out her story below and listen in to see how Community Outreach became such a big part of her life. We are so fortunate to have this episode for you all, and know there is a lot to take away from her story!

Mariana Ranz is originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where she began her ballet training under the direction of Gryssel Berlioz. Later she joined and performed with Compañia de Danza Bellart. At the age of 18, Ranz relocated to the US to pursue  higher education. She graduated from University of California, Irvine and has a BA in Dance and in Psychology and Social Behaviors. In 2012, Ranz was accepted into NYU Steinhardt Dance Education Program and graduated in 2014 with a MA for Teaching Dance in the Professions: American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Pedagogy. She is an ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level Seven of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. As part of her career development, she traveled to Uganda in 2014 where she had the opportunity to collaborate with Ugandan dance educators from Makerere University, the Kampala Ballet and Modern Dance School. Throughout her career, she has served on the dance faculties of the American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Hunter College Elementary School, and The Spence School.

Comparte el amor  with our guest by leaving a comment, let us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to Mariana for making this Sip & Chat happen and for sharing her story with us!

Ballet Hispanico's Community Arts Partnership: https://www.ballethispanico.org/community

Mariana on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/marianaranzt/ 

LNX x FuegoDanceShoes Brand Ambassadors
Añadele Sazón by wearing Fuego Shoes! Use our code LNX10 for 10% off. Click the link to learn more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season of LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

Join us this week as we welcome Latina Americana dancer and actress, Emma Sofia Caymares (BFA, SUNY Purchase College), to our podcast. We dive deep into her childhood growing up in concert dance and her career trajectory as she explores the dualities of working as a dancer and actress both on and off the screen. She talks about how she is now transferring those skills over to film-writing and how she is working hard to create films and content that speaks on Latinx experiences that go far beyond the typical narco/criminal, cleaning lady or overly sexualized Latina that is usually found on the big screen. Coming from Cuban and Nicaraguan roots, Emma speaks on the importance of giving back to our community in ways that are not so "stereotypical" and "problematic" but instead shed light and celebrate the beauty of our multi-cultural lives as Latinx-identifying individuals. She speaks on her love for dance and how it has been a source of creativity and expression throughout many hard years in her life and how important and lucky we are to use our bodies to express our realities. 

Credits:
 "Emily" in Finding Neverland (2015-2016)
"Veruca Salt" in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Broadway (2016-2018)
"Graciela Morales" in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2020)
"Celia" in Call Your Mother (2021)
"Aliss Lopez" in Bashira (2021)

Nominations:
Emma was nominated for a "Chita Rivera Award" in 2017 and the "Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show" category.

Comparte el amor con Emma by leaving a comment on this episode and let us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to Emma for making this Sip & Chat happen and for sharing her story with us!

Get more of Emma:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasofiacaymares/

LNX x FuegoDanceShoes Brand Ambassadors
Añadele Sazón by wearing Fuego Shoes! Use our code LNX10 for 10% off. Click the link to learn more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.

Send us a message!

Welcome back to another season of LNXdance with your Co-Hosts, Marcus & Mari!

We are so honored to bring to you Kiri Avelar, MFA, Interdisciplinary Artist, Educator, and Scholar! An awardee of the Chancellor's Fellow @ucsantabarbara's Theater & Dance Department and a beautiful human inside and out. Kiri is a strong fronteriza artist-scholar from the U.S./Mexico borderlands of El Paso, Texas/Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua. The movement between her cultures in the borderlands, and time lived away from the area, have shaped her interest in accessible, inclusive dance practices anchored in Chicana/Latina feminist epistemologies and border theory. Kiri is a former Jerome Robbins Dance Division Research Fellow for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and NYU Teaching Fellow for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Her work has been published in the Journal of Dance Education, Dance Index, Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine, and the forthcoming anthologies Critical Storytelling from the Borderlands and ¡Somos Tejanas! 

Send some love to Kiri by leaving a comment on this episode and let us know what your favorite part of this chat was. We want to send a big thank you to Kiri for this amazing Sip & Chat!

Get more of Kiri: 

1. https://www.kiriavelar.com/
2. Latinx Dance Educators Alliance 

LNX x FuegoDanceShoes Brand Ambassadors
Añadele Sazón by wearing Fuego Shoes! Use our code LNX10 for 10% off. Click the link to learn more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

--
Brought to you by MotionScoop Dance Corp, LNXdance Podcast is a series of conversations FOR Latinx dancers and educators BY Latinx dancers and educators. Join Mari & Marcus -M&M- as they dive deep into important topics in the dance industry and explore how being part of the Latinx community affects us, our contributions, decisions, and careers.

We hope you enjoy our sip and chat. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment with what you loved, questions, and topics for next time!

Follow us on our Instagram page, LNXdance, to interact with our community and with us.

For business inquiries and to apply to be a guest, please email [email protected]

¡Adiós!

Hosts: Marcus Mantilla-Valentin & Mari Vasconez
Sponsors: MotionScoop Dance Corp.