Deanna Lynn Martinez holds an MA (summa cum laude) and New York State Initial Certification in Teaching Dance, All Grades (Pre-K–12) from NYU Steinhardt’s Dance Education Program. She previously received a BA (summa cum laude) in Dance and Africana & Puerto Rican/Latinx Studies from Hunter College, as a Macaulay Honors Scholar, after graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Deanna is a recipient of the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA) Graduate Student Award, a published author in Dance Education in Practice (DEiP), and the current Graduate Student Representative to the Advisory Board of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). She has studied, performed, and taught in New York City, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda, throughout the private, pre-K–12, and higher education sectors. In addition, she has completed education administrative roles at the Joyce Theater Foundation and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in partnership with the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Deanna is currently creating the inaugural dance program at Flushing International High School, working with English Language Learners and students who are immigrants to promote the use of dance as a cultural and diplomatic tool of soft power. She is also in the midst of publishing an article based on her research entitled “Redefining American Dance: A Conglomeration of Cultures and Identities”. Deanna is thrilled to be joining the faculty of Ballet Hispánico with the opportunity to share her love of Hip-Hop dance and culture.