We recently connected with Mariadela Belle Alvarez and have shared our conversation below.

Mariadela Belle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I am incredibly grateful to be at a point in my life where my work reflects my passions and aspirations fully. In my twenties, I supported myself after graduating college by working as a Teaching Artist for various programs in Philadelphia, teaching K-12 students, adults, and eventually as an adjunct professor at a college. I loved building community through dance, but I still had some aspirations as a performer that I wanted to fulfill.

In my late twenties, I decided to pursue performance opportunities in a more focused way, which led me to join Ananya Dance Theatre in 2023, where I am currently an ensemble artist. While my role with Ananya Dance Theatre is part-time and primarily involves evenings and weekends, I work full-time during the day for a nonprofit that supports students and families in Guatemala. As someone who is native to Central America, I am thrilled to help families achieve their goals, while also being able to pursue my artistic aspirations.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey with dance has been lifelong. I had the opportunity to attend the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts in Bethlehem, PA where I knew I wanted to go to college for dance. I earned my BFA in Dance from Temple University.

Today, I am a dancer, capoerista, actor, and teaching artist utilizing Afro Latin arts & culture, theatrical performance, and social dance traditions to access individual resiliency and build collective liberation. I activate modalities of storytelling to illuminate the local, global, and interconnected issues that BIPOC communities face, while uplifting the strength and spirit of nuestra lucha, our shared struggle towards justice. My aim and intent is to evoke and embody the convergence of rigor, athleticism, undeniable groove, time travel, and rootedness in my creative essence. Ephemeral yet irresistible, dancing is a subversive vehicle that builds power and transcends limits as it unearths a joyous sense of potential, beauty, longing, bravery, and renewal. I am intrinsically motivated by my commitment to artistic excellence, social justice, and sustainable models of growth. My vision is to shape culture by facilitating exchange within dance, music, and movement arts as a means to heal, surrender, rejoice, and shift towards collective action.

My personal practice is based in house, capoeira, Latin social dances, and I have a background in modern dance. At Ananya Dance Theatre, I train almost daily in Yorchha, a contemporary South Asian aesthetic based in techniques of Odissi, Chhau, and Vinyasa Yoga.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the richness of the work I get to embody and perform, along with the research and stories I get to hold. This makes artistic work a soul-stretching, expansive, and immersive experience that shapes culture, imagination, and possibilities for transformation.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As an artist, my ability to navigate complexity while remaining malleable and nimble is a trait unique to creatives. I believe that those who are not involved in creative fields might struggle to understand the necessity of artistic practice, viewing it as just a hobby rather than something essential to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://raicesenmovimiento.org/
• Instagram: @raicesenmovimiento
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariadelabelle.alvarez
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariadela-belle-alvarez-8a1138221/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mariadelabellealvarez7420

Image Credits

Natasha Cohen Carroll
Pat Berrett