Thania is a choreographer, performer, educator and dance artist from Puerto Rico, currently residing in Cardiff, after New York, Scotland and Buenos Aires. She is currently a researcher and lecturer at University of South Wales (USW).
She writes:
As both an independent artist, dance movement therapist, and lecturer at University of South Wales, the opportunity to work with professionals from other fields is always welcomed. Being part of the Creative Cardiff Advisory group meant that not only could I understand the creative industries from different perspectives, but I could also contribute my own experience and voice some of the aspects that particularly affect dance and theatre practitioners in Wales. Being part of an advisory group has that double benefit of both being a consultant, but also being a catalyst for potential changes and opportunities which can help deepen and expand our field in these challenging times.
Thanks to encouragement from many colleagues in the creative industries, I founded my own company, The Body Hotel, which is a Wales-based company and social enterprise prioritising movement as a therapeutic intervention. The company provides training, professional development programmes and dance movement psychotherapy services to the health, wellbeing, education & arts sectors. It was crucial for me as an international, Puerto Rican, LGBT+ professional to keep deepening my roots in Wales and find spaces in which I could reduce professional isolation, which prompted me to respond to the Creative Cardiff Advisory Group open call and ultimately become part of this incredible team.
Networks and opportunities that are offered through Creative Cardiff’s platforms give encouragement for students and professionals to access connections, particularly when we feel isolated from our industry.
The team has a ‘let’s do this’ attitude, supporting events, individuals and creative initiatives.
For example, Vicki Sutton (Creative Cardiff Project Manager) has been a fervent supporter of my dance movement psychotherapy practice workshops and USW symposium on Movement for Wellbeing. It is great to have a group of people that say ‘yes’ to initiatives and show up to show encouragement for what you do and collaboratively build a professional community of creative practitioners in Cardiff and beyond.
