Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre

ROSIE-At the helm of RHDT is Rosie Herrera, a Cuban American performer and choreographer raised in Hialeah who has gone on to have a successful career as a choreographer, director, teacher and interdisciplinary collaborator. Her movement background has its roots in urban dance and Cuban cabaret, and is influenced by her intense study of modern dance, opera, and improvisation.  Most recently she was awarded a Guggenheim Choreographic Fellowship and was named the inaugural Knight Choreographic Fellow of the United States. As a choreographer she has had tremendous success creating work with prestigious companies such as The Jose Limon Dance Company, Pig Iron Theater, Little Island, New Dialect, and Ballet Hispanico, for which she won a Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship in 2013.

RHDT-Under her artistic leadership, Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre (RHDT) has toured extensively throughout the US, taking them from sold out performances at the prestigious American Dance Festival, The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami Dade County, The Baryshnicov Arts Center NYC, and The Joyce NYC. The company's commitment to collaboration extends not just to their creation process but defines their approach to community engagement. They work closely with community organizers, at home and on tour, to create engagement opportunities for a wide variety of community members. From their "Interfaith" roundtable community discussions gathering thought leaders across faiths, their "ecstatic" community movement choirs, working with students in multiple universities across the US, and Rosie's wildly successful Brutal Elegance workshop, their work has lead to repeat audience viewings and collaborative friendships with communities in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, North Carolina and Martha's Vineyard to name a few. The company has also collaborated with a wide variety of artists, most recently being featured in the Walter Mercado documentary Mucho, Mucho Amor, currently being streamed on Netflix.

HOT N' HEAVY (HNH)- RHDT's signature intensive training program- invites top-tier instructors from across the US to co-teach with Rosie for an intensive professional development program in spaces across all Miami Dade County. Collaborating with multiple local institutions like Live Arts Miami, Miami Light Project and Barry University, HNH provides world class training to performing artists and has provided over 35 full scholarships to local artists over the past four years. HNH promotes the exchange of ideas that lays the foundation for sustainable collaboration across multiple disciplines, thus ensuring that Miami’s diverse artistic voices persist amid displacement pressures.

WHAT'S NEW- Most recently RHDT has been awarded a National Dance Project Production grant and a National Performance Network Production grant for their newest work Tropical Depression. Supported by Live Arts Miami, Miami Light Project and The American Dance Festival, this work investigates the force of nostalgia within the exile community and its ramifications in the personal, social, and political realm. Conjuring Deși Arnaz, David Lynch, and Pina Baush, this work will be  joyful, surrealist celebration of the tragedy and glamour of the Caribbean. Set to premiere in March at the iconic Freedom Tower in Miami, this work allows for a provocative commentary on the ways in which cultural narratives shape collective identities over time.

NEED-Witnessing how rising living costs and climate gentrification have displaced many BIPOC artists in Miami, particularly dance artists, RHDT addresses the urgent need for a sustainable creative network in Miami by providing resources, professional opportunities, and platforms for performances as well as community-driven engagements like the Hot ‘N Heavy workshop series. RHDT has carved a unique space for themselves within the national contemporary dance world by striving for accessibility while not sacrificing the striking imagery and physical virtuosity of their uniquely tropical aesthetic. Please support RHDT today!