In Lak’ech Dance Academy

In Lak'ech Dance Academy is the only queer, transgender, and allied Salsa and Bachata dance academy in the United States.  Our name, “In Lak’ech”, is a Mayan concept that states: “Tu eres mi otro yo / you are my other me, we are a reflection of each other,” a vision we look to as we take on this work.  In Lak´ech is more than a dance academy, In Lak´ech is also a very special community where people can feel free to be their true selves - to claim their identity with pride and honor - while reaching personal goals through dance.

In Lak'ech Dance Academy is fiscally sponsored by the Queer Cultural Center - The Center for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Art & Culture (Tax ID Number: 94-3227839)

Mission

The mission of In Lak’ech Dance Academy is to co-create a community of queer, trans and allied dancers in order to celebrate our resilience, nurture our collective strength and heal from oppression. Through our visibility and artistic expression, we are redefining the Latin dance community as a safer and affirming space for all gender identities and sexualities.

Our Story

In Lak’ech was founded in 2017 by Jahaira Fajardo and Angelica Medina, two dancers with a passion to create a safe and affirming space for all who desire to dance. 

In 2014, Jahaira Fajardo and Angelica Medina, the Directors of In Lak’ech Dance Academy met and fell in love on the dance floor. They both share an immense passion for dance & decided to grow as dance partners while training for competition. In December 2015 they placed 1st in the Latin Ladies Same Gender Division, at the World Latin Dance Cup. Jahaira made history as the first Bachata female leader to become a World Champion.

In 2017, Jahaira and Angelica participated and completed the Alex and Desiree Bachata Instructor Certification Course. They also had the honor to Direct The AnD WW ~Team SF Season One. In Lak´ech Dance Academy is the direct result of the passion they both share for dancing and the desire to make a difference in the lives of others through dance.

What we do

We exist to promote artistic expression & healing within the queer community. We want to provide an opportunity for Queer individuals to express themselves through dance, while claiming their identities with pride and honor. We encourage team bonding, as we believe in the power that comes from the unique experience of being part of a larger community.

We want to increase queer visibility in an environment where hetero-normative influences are the majority. We would like to create visibility by training strong Queer performers, as we believe that visibility increases awareness & open mindedness - which has a positive impact on the LGBTQ community as a whole.

Activities

In Lak'ech provides high-quality dance instruction and training for our Academy dancers, preparing the 8 performing teams to successfully learn choreography and perform at Latin dance festivals and events.

We also prepare the Academy competition teams to compete at national and international Latin dance competitions.

Our performing competition teams include: beginner Bachata,beginner Salsa, Salsa follower shines, Bachata followers shines, Bachata leaders styling, Bachata, Salsa, and Salsa shines.

Over the past two years, our teams have performed in several national dance festivals, bringing high visibility to queer and trans Latin dancers.

Annual Queer Latin Dance Festival

In Lak’ech created the Queer Latin Dance Festival in 2018. The Queer Latin Dance Festival is the only queer Latin Dance Festival in the United States! We highlight and celebrate Queer, Trans and Allied Latin dancers, displaying amazing artistry, as well as social dancing opportunities. We host two full days of dance workshops, with top instructors in the Latin Dance Community.