Today we’d like to introduce you to Alondra Puentes Gallegos.
Hi Alondra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts in Mexico. I was born and grew up in Heroica Matamoros Tamaulipas, Mexico (Coahuiltecan, Huastec, Tamaulipec, Janambre land) until we left our home to come to the United States in 2005. It was not an easy journey and it definitely wasn’t easy witnessing as a child the struggles my parents faced to keep a roof over our heads or to feed us so I never took the time to actually dive into my interests. I was too busy worried about other things but one thing that was always stable was the presence of music and dance.
Music would always be blasting in my home and everyone would always gather to dance in the neighborhood. The first time I had any formal training I was about five years old and my mom had enrolled me in Ballet Folklorico classes in an after-school program. I quickly fell in love with dance and since then I haven’t stopped dancing. When we first arrived in the USA, I took a long break from dance and I resumed dancing in high school when I joined the dance magnet program. Here, I learned European-American dance styles and again I fell in love with dance. After high school, I attended Eastfield College (now a campus of Dallas College) where I met and trained under Dr. Danielle Georgiou from 2015 until 2018 when I transferred to Texas Woman’s University to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies. In 2017, I also started dancing for Dr. Danielle Georgiou in her dance theatre company the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group (DGDG).
Currently, I am completing my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Practice with a Certification in Dance Management from Saint Mary’s College of California. I am also teaching for both the academy and the professional companies at Anita. N Martinez Ballet Folklorico (ANMBF). I’ve also had the pleasure to present work at the Second Annual Contemporary Latinx Festival, Best of Fringe Festival, facilitate an Indigenous Dance Workshop at Undermain Theatre, and serve as an Assistant Choreographer for Stede Bonnet a F*cking Pirate Musical at Theatre Three.
It’s incredible to know that I, a Brown Indigenous Undocumented woman am making my community proud by representing our roots and ancestors and I only hope to see more Brown/Indigenous excellence in the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. It has been extremely difficult to be a brown woman in the dance/arts field. There were many struggles but the biggest struggle I have had to overcome was actually believing in myself, in my craft, and what I have to offer to the field because I have always been shown and told that there is no space for me in the arts. The arts are dominated by white folks and every white artist and professor that has belittled me, told me I would get nowhere, or did not believe in me has left a mark on me. As much as I would like to say it did not affect me, it absolutely did and still continues to affect me sometimes. It took so much for me to rebuild my confidence and overcome that trauma. It took surrounding myself with people who truly love me, support me, and believe not only in my art but what I stand for as a human being. It truly is all about finding the right people, healing, decolonizing, reconnecting with yourself, and taking it day by day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Indigenous performance artist, educator, and choreographer. My main interest as an artist is to bring awareness to the issues in my community. Such topics include generational trauma, violence against women, the effects of colonization, and the reclaiming of our heritage. My goal is to give a platform to BIPOC voices while emphasizing Indigenous experiences. I draw inspiration from my life experiences, society, and culture to investigate the in-between by utilizing Indigenous dance forms, and contemporary dance.
As an educator who works primarily with children from underrepresented communities, my main goal is to create a safe environment for my students and empower them inside and outside of the classroom. I believe in the power of representation, and community, in decolonizing education including dance forms, and in utilizing the tool of collaboration and experimental movement to empower children to make creative choices for themselves at an early age.
I am most proud that I represent my roots and ancestors in everything I do. I am proud of myself, my parents, and my ancestors for the constant battles we have overcome and continue to overcome. I am proud to be involved in communities that fight to create change and empower underrepresented communities.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Get out there and meet people! Go to events, support your community and get to know the people that inspire you in the community. Never be afraid to go up to someone and introduce yourself, people are glad to get to know a new face. Don’t be afraid to reach out or ask for help. Don’t be scared of failure, sometimes that is exactly what we need before something great comes your way.
Finding a mentor is incredibly hard and I am blessed and lucky to say that my mentor is also a dear friend of mine and has been for years. While it is hard finding humans that care about their student’s journeys, education, and future I promise they are out there and they are waiting for you to reach out or cross paths.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alondrapuentes.com
- Instagram: alondraapuentes
Image Credits
Lynn Lane
Alondra Puentes
Kelli Howard
Lexis Greer
Sarah Mendez
Danielle Georgiou
Justin Locklear
