Rosie Herrera, artistic director of Miami, FL-based Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, began her training late, at age 18. With her belated beginning came those all-too-familiar self-doubts about her body as a dancer. After graduating from New World School of the Arts with a BFA in dance, she began studying with Brigid Baker and finally learned to embrace what she’d once considered hRosie Herreraer imperfections.

“I often found myself trying to make up for not having the greatest lines or the most traditional body type by overcompensating in my performance quality. It was hard for me when I started taking Brigid’s class; her technique is all about air and lightness, and my body is very earth-bound. I gain muscle quickly and can become tight easily. But Brigid was the first person to look at my body as if it had limitless potential. With her guidance, I started to feel real freedom in my body: I felt physical expression I’d never experienced before.”

Herrera will premiere a new piece on students at the American Dance Festival, July 22-24, at the Reynolds Industries Theater at 8 pm. www.americandancefestival.org

Photo by Adam Reign, courtesy of Rosie Herrera