“The only lasting truth is Change.”

I am who I have always been — rooted in a Central American lineage of working class campesinos turned small business owners and local ministers. My ancestors cultivated land and people. I was raised by resilient, first generation PhD/Doctorate parents who raised me all over the world and taught me to love books and people. Displacement is woven into my story, having navigated dissonance and contradiction all my life, culture shock and reverse culture shock. Two things were especially prominent and held me through it all: creativity and faith. A fervently kinesthetic thinker, my child artist began creating and showcasing routines at home, studios, churches, community spaces. Eventually this all brought me to performing arts high school where my body grew strong, my artistry began to bloom, and I knew I wanted to be a vocational artist. I am who I have always been — passionate about storytelling and community building through dance. I express this as a choreographer-facilitator-activist invested in formation, healing, and social justice. View all posts by Mariadela Belle Alvarez