Five New York-based Latinx dance educators come together to address gaps in the field by presenting the multiple ways their work in dance education intersects and overlaps through identified “best practices” developed over decades of lived experience teaching in various geopolitical spaces. Through the lens of convivencia, a practice that strengthens community with its inherent ability to bridge experiences rooted in the resilience of underrepresented peoples, participants will explore learning gains that center Chicanx/a/o and Latinx/e identities and theories in educational scholarship. Buttressing our presentation on a foundation of convivencia allows us to enter the conversation with a culturally responsive focus promoting an understanding of how community, and different parts of communities, play a pivotal role in learning gains. Presenters will share personal perspectives and pedagogical methodologies including the different modalities, genres, and techniques they utilize in their individual practices while honing in on how these practices support anti-racist pedagogies. This session is intended for all educators across sectors and cultural identities.

As NYC-based dance educators and social justice arts advocates, Kiri Avelar and Michelle Manzanales hold personal, lived experiences of 20 plus years teaching in the field, both in the U.S./Mexican borderlands and the greater NYC area. Their work centers around an intersection of teaching practices stemming from a place of multiple identities. With an autoethnographic approach in discussing personal identities, how these identities are visibilized in their teaching artistry, and how identity is emanated in their classrooms, their work promotes a culturally responsive learning space through a Latinx lens, employing Chicana/Latina Feminist methodologies and pedagogies of testimonio and plática. They are the co-founders of the Latinx Dance Educators Alliance, a resource site for dance educators. www.latinxdanceeducatorsalliance.com