Darlisa's Guide to the Arts

I have been teaching, dancing and choreographing for over 10 years. My career started as a teaching assistant at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, NY, where I eventually transitioned to working in the classroom as a Creative Dance elementary instructor for the East Harlem Tutorial Program. Upon moving to Washington, D.C., I worked as an African dance instructor at Bishop McNamara High School, and also choreographed for the prestigious Youth Summer Program with The Washington Ballet @THEARC. Since moving to California, I worked as a Jazz TA for the Dance Department at UC Irvine, and secured a faculty position as a Dance History instructor for Saddleback College. Currently, I've been teaching full-time for 5 years at an LAUSD public charter school in Los Angeles, CA.

My style of teaching often blends technical performance with history and culture, in order to create a multi-faceted educational experience. I expect students to learn terminology and facts so that they can form their own opinions and points of view about works of art. I like to expose my students to prominent figures in the field, as well as performers that might reflect their own cultural identity. My teaching is culturally-responsive and diverse, while also building in rigor and foundational knowledge.

Publication of my article, "What is Contemporary Dance in Africa," Dance Major Journal, 2016.

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Theater from Manhattanville College, and my Master of Fine Arts from University of California, Irvine. I am currently in the process of earning my Single-Subject teaching credential for the state of California. I was accepted into the Musical Theater program at Jacob's Pillow, and also completed the Choreographic Investigation Course at Dance New Amsterdam (now called Gibney Dance Center in Manhattan).

I studied abroad in India, learning a classical dance form called Kuchipudi. That led to me booking my first international tour with Parijata Dance Company two years later, as part of The Park International Festival. I have also performed with Rocha Dance Theater in a piece titled "Mandorla" for the HERE Arts Center in NYC. Since arriving to Los Angeles, I booked music videos as a Bollywood dancer for Nick Cannon and Raja Kumari. I also act, and am pursuing a career in film and television.