Our mission is to
co-create a community of Queer, Trans, and allied dancers to celebrate resilience, nurture collective strength, and heal from oppression.
The Queer Liberation movement has inspired us to create an inclusive and safe dance environment for all gender expressions. We use gender-neutral language and model the importance of consent. We utilize dance as a healing and community-building tool for participants who have been mistreated in other spaces, and center our events around supporting and uplifting LGBTQS+ dancers.
Community building & engagement concepts are used to help empower our community to be their unapologetic selves. We understand that learning and connectedness are key elements to growing a strong and inclusive community.
why we exist
We believe that EVERYONE deserves the opportunity to experience the many gifts that come from Afro Latin dance culture.
In Lak'ech Dance Academy's Founders Angelica & Jahaira created the organization with the intention of using Afro-Latin dance as a tool for self-care and healing.
In Lak'ech Dance creates a safe space for LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Two Spirited, +) people to claim their identity with pride while reaching personal goals through dance.
We aim to increase LGBTQ2S+ visibility in hetero-normative Latin Dance environments by training strong LGBTQ2S+ dancers. Visibility increases awareness and open-mindedness, which positively impacts LGBTQ2S+ communities and society at large.
Our overall goals:
Produce events that are culturally grounded within Latinx communities and traditions.
Impact the larger Afro-Latin dance culture, to become more inclusive to all gender expressions and sexualities.
Provide a safer and more affirming space for LGBTQ2S+ people to participate in Afro Latin dance.
We are so honored to meet YOU! Angélica Medina and Jahaira Fajardo here, and we are the co-founders of In Lak’ech Dance Academy. We have been building spaces of healing through dance since 2017 when we founded In Lak’ech Dance, after becoming the first couple with a female lead to win the World Latin Dance Cup....TWICE!
Before dance we have been working on the frontlines of social justice and trauma work for over 30 years combined. We worked with grassroots and community organizations on issues ranging from mental health to housing rights. For us, dance is a continuation of our commitment to transformative justice.
Today, we teach using the In Lak'ech Method™ through our dance workshops globally. We also lecture at universities on how Afro-Latin dance emerged as a medium of resistance and celebration, and how it's being transformed today into an inclusive art form. Learn more on our services here.
Meet the directors
We are also the FOUNDERS of the first ever Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival and Competition in the world!
Learn more and join us at our next festival June 9-11, 2023
DoubleTree by Hilton, San Jose CA!
Oh, did we mention?
I'm a Queer Chicanx dancer and professional therapist. In Lak’ech is a fusion of my passion for therapy and dance. After years of providing therapy services, I noticed that many of my clients and communities benefited from somatic forms of healing. This realization led me to explore dance as a non-verbal form of trauma release.
i'm jahaira
i'm angelica
I was born and raised in NYC, and was born to Dominican parents. I hold a Masters of Arts in Psychology, and Masters of Public Health. I'm also a highly regarded speaker and educator about Afro-Latin dance as a medium to understand history, social justice, and trauma healing.
In 2014, Angelica and Jahaira met and fell in love on the dance floor
Jahaira has two Master degrees: Psychology and Public Health
Angelica is a healing practitioner and received her M.A. in Drama Therapy
Jahaira's family is from Dominican Republic, and Angelica's is Mexican
Angelica & jahaira
