RADicle Residency

Puerto Rican movement artist Lourdes del Mar Santiago Lebrón aims to create artistic explorations that heighten the senses, provoke inquisition, and demand attention, honing in to their belief that true connection between art maker and audience is achieved through raw emotive experiences. A sense of urgency is common in their work, as art has long been a loud and persuasive means to cope and communicate, facilitating a healing and explorative experience for dancers and audience alike. As a Queer Latine woman, they are committed to making art that is unapologetic, ideally aiding to create a world in which people think longer, feel harder, and experience life without hesitation.

A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, they are currently pursuing their MFA at Washington University in St. Louis. Their research at Washington University in St. Louis includes, but is not limited to, dance on the body of the Puerto Rican and the histories, lineages, and politics that inform Puerto Rican dance encounters. The research largely considers national identity as a topic of discussion when grappling with questions about the diaspora, nation’s sovereignty, nationalism, and art as activism. Centering ongoing debates allows the research to inquire how bodies position themselves within relation to the politics and legislation that has/will impact their life and art making. An Artist-in-Residence at the Tyson Research Center, they are inspired when the opportunity to bring their environmental science studies at Johns Hopkins University into dance discourse presents itself, leading them to consider ecology, human movement, and its connection to land.