Cultivating Movement Exploration With Director of Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance Michelle Manzanales

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Capítulo 037: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by Director of Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance and co-founder of the Latinx Dance Educators Alliance, Michelle Manzanales. Listen in as we discuss the connecting culture to formal dance, Tejano influences, her commitment to creating an environment where all students are inspired to explore movement.
Michelle Manzanales is a choreographer, dedicated dance educator of 30 years, and co-founder of the Latinx Dance Educators Alliance. The Director of Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance since December of 2016, Michelle previously led the organization’s professional company as Rehearsal Director & Artistic Associate for seven seasons. Ms. Manzanales is committed to creating an environment where all students are inspired to explore movement, feel supported in their individual dance journeys, and draw meaningful connections between dance and their lives.

Manzanales has co-presented at the New York State Dance Educators Association, ARTs + Change, and the National Dance Education Organization conferences, “Questioning TODO: A Latinx Inquiry of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”, a direct response to the historical and continued exclusion of Latinx contributions and experiences in the dance field. A current faculty member of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance, she has also served on the faculties of the University of Houston, Rice University, Lou Conte Dance Studio (former Home of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago), and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. She has been a guest artist for the Professional Work Sessions at STEPS on Broadway, the Joyce Master Class Series at Gibney, the Taylor School, New Orleans Ballet Association, the Puerto Rico Classical Dance Competition, Generation Dance Festival Houston, Artisan Ballet Company, Regional Dance America, Festival de Danza Cordoba-Youth America Grand Prix, Houston’s Kinder High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, along with numerous other dance studios, schools, and college dance programs nationwide and internationally.
For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy, and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.

Follow Michelle:
https://www.ballethispanico.org
https://www.instagram.com/mmanzanales
https://www.instagram.com/ballethisp

Ocu-Pasión Podcast, hosted by Delsy Sandoval, is a heartfelt interview series celebrating the diverse experiences of Latin American/Latinx artists and visionaries. Join us in exploring culture and creativity through meaningful conversations. If you'd like to support the podcast, please rate and review us here. For more information and to get in touch with Delsy, visit www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Connect with us on Instagram @ocupasionpodcast, join our Facebook Group here, and find all episodes on our website www.ocupasionpodcast.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack newsletter at ocupasionpodcast.substack.com for updates and exclusive content. Your support is greatly appreciated!