Mar Parrilla
Founding Artistic Director- Lead Choreographer
Producer- Educator
Taíno Afroborikua artist Mar Parrilla was birthed by Mother Earth in the Caribbean, Borikén (so called Puerto Rico). She is the Founding Artistic Director, and lead Choreographer of Danza Orgánica. Mar holds a Bachelor's Degree in Languages from the University of Puerto Rico, and a Master's Degree in Dance Education from New York University. Since 2014, Parrilla has produced the annual festival: We Create!- devoted to promoting the work of BIPOC self-identified mujeres, and gender non-conforming artists. Mar is also an educator, and founder of the Dance for Social Justice™ program. She has served in public schools, colleges and universities in the United States since 1998. Besides Danza Orgánica she devotes her life to her spirituality, her solo artist practice, her family, and community organizing.
Dey Hernández
Company Member
Dey is an architect, interdisciplinary artist, performance artist, and educator. She designs and directs workshops with AgitArte, a non-profit organization dedicated to artistic and popular education projects in marginalized communities. Dey is also a puppeteer of the Puerto Rico-based radical workers’ theater collective, Papel Machete. Her work and performances most recently have been exhibited at the Mills Gallery of the Boston Center for the Arts, and Loisaida Center in New York City. She is currently the art director and curator of When We Fight, We Win!
Claudia E. Varela
Company Member
Claudia was born and raised in Reynosa, Mexico, where she danced with Academia de Danza La Scala and Casa de la Cultura de Reynosa. She graduated Cum Laude from UC San Diego with a Dance B.A. and a Bioengineering B.S. Varela believes that dance is a powerful way to protest and advocate for social justice, and in her choreographic work, she has explored issues such as, the drug violence affecting her hometown and the disappearing of 43 students in Ayotzinapa. Currently, Claudia is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and is thrilled to have the opportunity to dance with Danza Orgánica.
Alejandra ‘Al’ Rosa (they/them, she/her) is a non binary Afro-queer Puerto Rican poet, movement, theater and performance artist based in Boston. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, their movement is grounded in a collective Afro-Boricuir quest for liberation. Currently an Afro-Caribbean
Performance Studies PhD student at Harvard University, she deepens their artistic practice under the mentorship of radical choreographer, performer, filmmaker, Laura Rodriguez, LROD. After writing front-page stories for The New York Times, Bori-trans narratives for Time Magazine, producing for Vice News, HBO, and receiving Colombia’s Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Journalism Fellowship for two consecutive years, Ale moved to the Boston area in 2021, where she joined Danza Orgánica as a dance company member, while continuing committed to their Puerto Rico-based solo performer practice -La cicatriz del agua, éxodx, Vísteme despacio- influenced by the work of Puerto Rican queer performers and theater artists André Pó Rodil, Awilda Rodriguez Lora laperformera, and Kairiana Núñez Santaliz. Community member of Casa étnica, afro-feminist anti-racist storytelling project founded and leaded by maestra Gloriann Sacha Antonetty. Held by her ancestry, su ancestralia, and informed by poly-affective creative tissues, Ale dives into movement, poetry, theater and performance art. Their first poetry book, Levadura (La Secta de los Perros, 2022), will soon tour Puerto Rico, Boston and New York, en memoria de doña Sarah.
Andrea Muñiz
From San Juan, Puerto Rico, Andrea is a Boston based movement artist. Andrea is committed to the craft of channeling movement in collaborative environments. Their choreographic work lives on the edges of the physical and the imagined. In 2019, they graduated from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance. They have performed with El Taller Juvenil de Andanza, The Robin Aren Company, and Boston Dance Theater. Andrea is currently an artist with Danza Orgánica. You can follow them on Instagram (@drea.muniz) to see more.
Victoria Sagardía
Puerto Rican artist, Victoria Sagardía accomplished a Bachelor of Arts at Emerson College. She is ballet trained, and also trained with CoDa 21 in Puerto Rico. Victoria is thrilled to be dancing with Danza Orgánica.
Etienne is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he began his training at La escuela Julian Blanco and Ballet Concierto. He graduated from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, with a Masters in choreography & performing arts. Hernandez performed throughout Spain with El Joven Ballet de Cámara de Madrid for 5 years. He was also a member of Ballet Brio in P.R, and has presented dance works internationally. Presently he teaches in Boston and around the north shore area and is delighted to be a member of Danza Orgánica.
do alumni:
Joya Powell
Sahar Javedani
Alicia Woo
Angela Dixon
Doreen Kramer
Jeca Rodríguez
Nicole Hirsch
Maria Molteni
Marissa Molinar
Tara Weaver
Kara Fili
Wayne Ong
Joe Gonzalez
Sakurako Awano
Gabriela Silva
Terina Jasmin- Alladin
Juanita Pearl
Ashley Freeman
Ashly Jensen
Sarah Elaz
Chienhwe
Mckersin Previlus
Amy M. Burns
Earnest Gildon
