Q: What has been your pre professional and professional dance journey? ‍

Since I was a little kid, I have always been dancing. I give credit to my parents for encouraging movement, expression, music and dance. My mom told me: “you have to take one class, and if you don't like it you don't have to go back.” I started with all the styles: African, Tap, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Musical Theater, and Acting, and at that time I was focused on sports with dance on the side! It wasn't until middle school that a teacher made it clear to me that dance could be an athletic pursuit as well, and is something for kids who were into arts and athleticism. In the culture I grew up in, dance was not modeled as a “guy” thing to do. The teacher made me see myself as a dancer.

I went to school at Pomona College in Southern California, majoring in Math and minoring in dance. I gave up baseball and I started taking dance classes. I started taking a very LA jazz dance class, and I forgot what it felt like to move in a way that wasn't confined.. From there, I got back into dance at 19. I then got a post grad fellowship to study contemporary dance, and that was really my launch into dance.

I did a masters program in Europe for 3 years. I studied with Debbie Reynolds, and learned more about the pedagogy of dance. I was exposed to a whole new theater dance world that I did not get in the US. The arts blended more in Europe, and this shaped my artistic perspective. Then I made the choice: this would be what I would do as a career. I also saw emotionally in Europe that dance was respected and cool. Dance was understood in Europe, unlike in the US, where you say to someone, “Oh I am a dancer” and they say “Like So You Think You Can Dance?”  There was a deeper understanding that dance is a storytelling art, and a necessary art, in which expression is supported. There is an understanding and conversation between the audience and the performers. All of that understanding shaped my perspective of dance.

I studied the art of Chignon Chinese art, blending it with contemporary dance forms. I got back into breakdancing and house dancing. The community, and the improvisational element of Hip-Hop, and House, and Club culture always called to me. The last 10-12 years have been my main influences. I have combined the way we tell stories in the pop world with the more institutional, more formal theatrical ways to tell stories. For me, my passion is this amalgamation of all of these forms.

There is also a moment from 2014-18, when I was living in mexico, where I awoke to this realization that dance is a mystical and spiritual thing. I realized that dance is my way to connect to the macro, and my way to be a part of the universe; my way to be happy, my way to communicate with nature and find different animal forms more sacred. Dancers are the people who help bring rain, and celebrate life. There is an element of sacredness and ritual that I was called to in Mexico, and I really connected with that. Taking that responsibility as a dancer and teacher and director, and realizing dance doesn't stop at the technique and that there is something below and beyond [the technique], that, for me, is important. I believe we have a responsibility that, through the work of the body, we can be messengers and healers and be more connected to the Earth. We must ask ourselves: how do we give someone the freedom to be who they are without judgment?

One thing is that, with this virus, our lungs are not healthy, and I think about how we breathe and connect to space around us and how dance can also be an element of solution. I think dance has been physical, emotional and spiritual for me. The more I learn, the more I realize what I do not know, and find humility and humbleness. It is so beautiful when you don't try to master anything, but just experiencing the body everyday. ‍

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Q: Do you believe dance can be a platform for social justice topics? If so, how?‍

Yes, 100%. I believe that, at its core, dance is social justice. That is what it is to me. I think it is social justice because there is equity in a body. There is a natural lack of judgment from nature, and that at its best moments, nature supports the body. I think that dance is social justice because it really uses the collective to celebrate the individual, and asks the individual to express its full self in order to give back to the collective. And that, for me, is a clear definition of social justice—that you can't do it alone, and no one can do it for you.

I think that, institutionally, dance has been taken very far from the social justice place. I think that, with how dance is taught and the language we use around the body and the classes we take, it has fallen into white dominant culture.  When I studied in college, the elective classes were “World Dance” and the core classes were Ballet and Modern and generally western based. But at its core, a body expressing itself is the most powerful thing that there is. What I love to do in my work is have people feel that, and create a safe place so someone can experience the sensation of safety. And when you feel safe, you can be who you are. And that is freedom. Freedom is not being alone. It is being with others, whether that is in a club, a theater, in the studio... It doesn't matter. The energy is energy. I believe dance is social justice, and I think dance has always expressed itself in times of suffering. A lot of art comes out as an expression of celebration, defiance, and revival, and I think that dance is something that we need in this moment, when humanity is resetting itself. Dance has a place at that table and should be part of the conversation.

I think health is social justice. And dance, at its core, is health. Dance is a representation of how you relate to yourself. Dance is another word for how you express who you are, and so there is health and wellness in the expression, and how you use your own body to heal yourself. There is a passion that lives in dance that has the power to create a more equitable society and a more global energy.

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‍Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you as a performing artist?‍

Well, everything I had scheduled—shows, classes, etc.—has been cancelled. So on a practical level, it cancelled my artistic expression, training and financial opportunities. On the other side it's also shown me that this is a moment to be quiet and be of service. I believe my highest form of self expression can also be my highest act of service.

I started classes online last year, and now this virus happened, and now, all of a sudden, there is a big demand for it. It's inspired me to continue doing the online class. It has made me wonder what will happen when this dies down, because we need in-person gatherings. We need human touch more than ever, and I wonder if people will still seek that out after this. I believe in creating safe spaces for people to gather, and I hope there is a desire for that and not to do everything online. In the meantime, I hope to be of service, and continue my in-person work in the future.