Dance in context
Dance is a mirror that reflects the world in which we live and our deepest personal concerns. It is not an exclusive practice, but rather a medium that touches all of us. Accessibility to this art form therefore opens the door to both artistic excellence and human connection. This philosophy has been at the core of Ana Miranda's work on and off the stage.
Ana Miranda's artistry and community commitment has been nurtured and informed by her work as a dance/movement therapist and dance educator. A board certified dance/movement therapist through the American Dance Therapy Association (BC-DMT), she has presented dance research at national conferences in NYC and Minneapolis, launched the first dance therapy course at Florida International University and provided therapeutic and/or wellness programming at South Miami Hospital/Baptist Health Systems for over 20 years. She received her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy at Goucher College in Maryland and her training in dance/movement analysis has included studies at the Laban Centre in London under Valerie Preston-Dunlop.
As a dance/movement therapist, Miranda has worked extensively in the area of addiction treatment, mental health, developmental disabilities and dementia/alzheimer care. In her private practice she has worked with foster children and victims of domestic violence. She has offered professional development training in therapeutic uses of dance for organizations such as the FDEO, United Way and VSA Florida. Ana Miranda's somatic practices include completion of 200hr teacher training in Anusara Yoga. She has conducted community yoga classes for the Miami Dade Public Library System and integrates this knowledge in all her dance/movement work.
In the South Florida community, Ana Miranda has created multi-disciplinary educational arts programming for the Miami-Dade Public Library System and has been a teaching artist for institutions such as Arts For Learning, United Way Center for Excellence, Miami Dade Public Schools and VSA Florida. She has taught flamenco at Miami Dance Studio and North Miami Arts Collective and her Flamenco For the Soul workshops have been presented at Unity on the Bay and at Bagua in the Miami Design District. She founded the non-profit, Art Works For Us, Inc., where she developed and facilitated therapeutic dance programming for adults and teens with disabilities for Miami Dade Parks and Recreation. Through Miranda's leadership, Art Works For Us, Inc presented international flamenco artists Marija Temo and Ulrika Frank who conducted guitar/dance workshops at Florida International University. Miranda also launched Flamenco For All which offered dance instruction and performance opportunities to children with disabilities.
Ms. Miranda has been a guest choreographer at Jacksonville University, Broward College and Nova Southeastern University and has dance faculty at Miami Dade College, Florida International University and University of Miami. In her exploration and research on the therapeutic benefits of flamenco, Miranda has collaborated with artists in Seville, Spain and was noted in the book "Los Caminos Terapéuticos del Flamenco." She presented these findings at the American Dance Therapy Association national conference in Brooklyn, NY in 2013.
In her diverse career, Ana Miranda has developed an approach to dance/movement that is intuitive, holistic, contextual and humanistic.