Creativo Conmigo

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CreaTiVo Conmigo

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Sustained Community Dance Engagement

(2023–Present)

Since 2023, the Creativo Conmigo team has consistently hosted free, weekly community prácticas on Saturdays, offering West Coast Swing, Brazilian Zouk, and Lambada. These inclusive gatherings provide both personalized one-on-one instruction and lively group social dances, addressing a critical need in Austin for affordable, beginner-friendly, and accessible dance events. By removing financial and skill barriers, Creativo Conmigo actively fosters community engagement, welcoming diverse participants to explore and celebrate dance and cultural connection together.

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Consistent Community Cultural Building

The provided work samples illustrate Creativo Conmigo's sustained commitment to fostering community and cultural connection through consistent, accessible, and engaging dance programming. Since 2023, Creativo Conmigo has provided free, beginner-friendly community prácticas every Saturday, offering West Coast Swing, Brazilian Zouk, and Lambada. These events have filled a critical void in Austin's cultural landscape, making affordable and inclusive social dance opportunities available to diverse community members. Participants have shared experiences such as, "These free dance socials gave me confidence and helped me find a welcoming community," showcasing the tangible impact of these gatherings.

Accessibility measures have been central to Creativo Conmigo's approach, including wheelchair-accessible venues, bilingual instruction (English and Spanish), and sensory-friendly environments, ensuring everyone feels welcome and included.

Building upon the demonstrated success of these dance prácticas, Creativo Conmigo now aims to deepen community impact through family art therapy sessions. The established trust and community engagement from previous events provide an ideal foundation for introducing therapeutic interventions. These sessions will explicitly bridge cultural identity and home life, fostering stronger emotional connections between children and parents. By integrating culturally relevant art, expressive movement, and interactive storytelling, these family-focused sessions aim to encourage early cultural engagement, enhance emotional resilience, and create lasting intergenerational bonds, ultimately nurturing a connected, inclusive, and culturally vibrant community.

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Expanding Access to Dance:

Inclusive Movement at the Texas School for the Blind

Creativo Conmigo team members have been teaching dance classes at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) throughout January, February, and March 2025. These classes provide students with an inclusive and engaging movement experience, fostering confidence, creativity, and community through dance.

Due to privacy and liability laws, such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), which protects the privacy of student records, and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which safeguards sensitive health information, we are unable to take photos or videos of students participating in our program.

However, the impact of these classes is deeply felt by participants. One student, Genji, shared:

"I need to start every single morning with dance. I feel so much better.

My mental health is completely better. I feel amazing. Wow, I love this!"

Through this collaboration, Abril and her team are ensuring that blind and visually impaired students have access to high-quality dance education, reinforcing the transformative power of movement in building self-expression, well-being, and inclusion.

Our main contact for this collaboration is Melanie Walton (waltonm@tsbvi.edu).

Previous Programming Example:

El Paso Child Guidance Center

At El Paso Child Guidance Center, Abril Padron successfully implemented culturally responsive, Spanish-language therapeutic programming designed specifically for families. Utilizing art therapy and expressive movement, Abril created safe, inclusive spaces where parents and children could explore mental health strategies deeply rooted in cultural tradition and language accessibility. Her impactful approach significantly strengthened family connections, empowered cultural identity, and improved community mental health outcomes.

Inclusive Social Events with Multilingual Accessibility

Our community events, such as the Valentine’s Social & Murder Mystery Party, directly support ongoing dance classes at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and provide critical community safety resources for survivors of abuse, connecting them with licensed professionals. All promotional videos, flyers, and social media content feature Spanish translations and closed captioning, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all participants. Please read our support letter from Peter Clauter below for more details.