BIO — BIANCA MEDINA

artist statement

AS A BORICUA - MEXICANA 2ND GENERATION CHICAGO NATIVE, I CREATE DANCE FROM THE CROSSROADS OF ANCESTRAL STORIES AND IDENTITIES THAT LIVE IN MY BODY, A DECOLONIAL PRAXIS IN THE LINEAGE OF GLORIA ANZALDUA’S BORDERLANDS THEORY. MY WORK EXPLORES HOW THE BODY, IN ALL ITS SHIFTING POLITICAL AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS, SERVES AS A VESSEL FOR CONtEMPORARY STORYTELLING. AS SUCH, IT BREAKS THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE, FRAMING TRADITION AS AN EVER-EVOLVING PRACTICE THAT LIVES INFINITELY WITHIN OUR BODIES AND SPIRITS. PRESENT ACROSS ALL MY CHOREOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IS A MOVEMENT PRACTICE ROOTED IN AFRO-LATIN AND MODERN RELEASE DANCE TECHNIQUES and their inherent relation to the earth.

as a MOVEMENT educator, I believe that embodied practices are a necessary part of our liberation. I move with the intention to co-generate spirit-filled, safe, inclusive, and accessible movement spaces that center community and embrace the multiple identities and experiences in the room. I prioritize Building dance curriculum that acknowledges cultural, historical, and spiritual context of genre/tradition.

biography

Bianca Medina is a Boricua-Mexicana Queens, NY based dance artist. A chicago native, Medina sought her education at the university of iowa earning her B.F.A. in Dance. she was based in Los Angeles from 2015-2020 working as a full time dancer, choreographer, and educator touring with CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theatre, Viver Brasil Dance Company, and with choreographer/ collaborator Marina Magalhães.

Medina joined THE ICONIC Brooklyn, NY based DANCE COMPANY, Urban Bush women as a company member in june 2022. She toured UBW works Haint Blu: A site specific dance theatre work, Legacy + Lineage + Liberation Tour, Scat! A biographical, and originated a principal role in the world premiere of Houston Grand Opera’s Intelligence under the direction / choreography of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.

In the spirit of decolonial praxis, Medina's choreography lies in the intersection of Modern Release and the Afro-Latin Diaspora, honoring the divine feminine and the spiritual traditions of her elders through an approach to movement that is grounded, lush, raw, and resilient. Her original choreographic works have been shown in nYC’s Iati theatre, LALIIF, NETFLIX LATINO LENS, dancing diaspora festival los angeles, be here now festival los angeles, southern california grantmakers conference, and inside contra-tiempo’s evening length touring work joyus justus.

CURRENTLY, MEDINA IS A PERFORMER IN THE MET OPERA BALLET. SHE MADE HER DEBUT ORIGINATING THE ICONIC TROPICAL MARY PRINCIPAL ROLE IN THE WORLD PREMIER OF EL NIÑO, DIRECTED BY LILIEANA BLAIN-CRUZ AND CHOREOGRAPHY BY MARJANI FORTE-SAUNDERS IN SPRING ‘24. THIS FALL ‘24, MEDINA WILL PERFORM IN THE FLAMENCO CONTEMPORARY OPERA, AINADAMAR, DIRECTED & CHOREOGRAPHED BY BRAZIL’S ICON, DEBORAH COLKER, AND SPAIN’S ICON, ANTONIO NAJARRO.

while touring, Medina has danced on stages across the world such as The Joyce, Jacob’s Pillow Lincoln Center EDU, REDCAT, Dance Place, the getty, Hollywood Bowl, The Yard, the Centre Chorégraphique National (France), House of Culture (Bulgaria), and at the US embassy of El Salvador to name a few. medina danced with viver brasil in disneyland’s seasonal Viva navidad Holiday parade show, and for two years held the role of dance captain.

Medina has also taken her studies to Salvador Bahia, Brazil Immersing in the Orixá tradition under elders and master teachers, Mestra Vera Passos & Donna Cici via viver brasil’s dancing at the source program.

photo taken from viva navidad parade show at disneyland / viver brasil

medina teaching at contra-tiempo futuro summer intensive

as a teaching artist, Medina has led choreographic residencies and has served as dance guest faculty for universities, institutions, studios, intensives, and community centers throughout the country. MEdina also served as a cultural ambassador and resident teaching artist with contra-tiempo for the U.S. embassy of El Salvador’s #step program. In NYC, she has been a dedicated teaching artist at Mark Morris Dance center where she has offered classes for their 6-week Intro series, and was an educator for their inaugural digital dance center.

collaboration

medina has been in an 8 year collaboration with la based award-winning choreographer Marina Magalhães and with Dance Artist tatiana zamir. CONCEIVED BY Magalhães, the award winning project, womb: body as a crossroads, emphasizes “staging local (re)membering practices of body and land to visualize the possibilities of dance-making as change-making.” Womb premiered at Houston’s diverseworks April 22, and will continue to develop with the support of Mapfund (2020 awardee) & Creative Capital (2022 awardee). medina served as rehearsal director and co-choreographer collaborator for the project.

medina and Magalhães performing duet circular/circling home at USC visions & voices dancing the archives — medina and Magalhães performing duet *circular/circling home* at USC visions & voices dancing the archives

arts administration

As an Arts Administrator, Medina has held the position of Production and Programming Director for Viver Brasil, as social media / archivist for viver brasil’s dancing at the source in salvador bahia, brazil, AS Social Media Coordinator for CONTRA-TIEMPo, as dIgItal content CREATOR & programming operations assistant For danCing diaspora collective, as community engagement specialist interim for contra-tiempo, work study intern for lou conte dance studio at hubbard street chicago, and research assistant for Professor Armando Duarte's Culture of Carnival: Brazilian Dance & Music course and study abraod program in rio de janiero, brazil and at university of iowa.

Leadership development

Medina feels Leadership development IS essential to her career as a latina culture bearer and maker of dance. So far, she was A FULL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT OF Urban Bush Women’s summer leadership institute in ‘22.

she was also a full scholarship recipient of NYC’S 2021 GIBNEY DANCE inaugural “CLIMATE OF POSSIBILITY” PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHERE SHE connected with nyc’s dance artist leaders and collaborated WITH her cohort to collectively imagine what is possible moving forward in the field,.

Medina received full scholarship to the people institute of survival and beyond’s undoing racism training in 2017, 2018, & 2022.

she represented viver brasil dance company at dance/usa’s 2019 conference, and received a full scholarship as a first time attendee in 2018.

Medina participated in countless leadership trainings with contra-tiempo activist dance theatre to serve as a lead teaching artist for their futuro summer dance intensive and also Young Artist Leadership Institute 2016-2020, and grew as a lead teaching artist sharing afro brazilian traditional dance and history for viver brasil dance company 2017-2021.

She was a founding member of Magalhães’ dancing diaspora collective 2020-2021, which served in person and virtual dance community offerings before and during the pandemic. she was also an artist fellow for honey & smoke’s nomadic season contributing her voice and creative work across honey & smoke’s social platforms and public programming.

Medina completed her Ryt-200 yoga teacher CERTIFICATION in 2020 THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE East LA BASED People’s Yoga, with the goal to bring movement to intergenerational communities.