Lara Gonzalez

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Artist Statement – Lara GonzalezLara is Co-Founder, Artistic/Program/Development Director, Performer and lead Teaching Artist for her performance and educational group, Marafanyi Drum, Dance & Song. Their mission is a commitment to sharing the Transformative, Educational and Therapeutic powers of Drum, Dance and Song with all ages and abilities.Ms. Gonzalez has studied West African music and dance in the U.S. with artists including Babatunde Olatunji, Sanga-of-the-Valley and M'Bemba Bangoura - and has traveled to Guinea, West Africa five times to study with artists from Les Ballets Africain (Guinea's National Company), Merveilles de Guinea, Wamali Percussione and Les Etoiles de Boulbinet.Lara is a versatile musician/arranger and director as well as dancer/choreographer. She is the creator and director of the multi-media community performance art piece, "Marafanyi Meets the Mural: Alaa Awad's 'Justice' Becomes a Catalyst for a Community Collaboration",  funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and MCLA's Downstreet Art for 2 seasons.In addition, Lara had the honor of dancing as a guest community artist with Ronald K Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company in the piece "On Earth Together" at Williams College in 2016, and most recently as a guest dancer for world-renowned visual artist, Nick Cave, appearing in one of his Soundsuits as part of his exhibition, "Until" at MASS MoCA in 2017. Both of these humanitariam artists, and their work, are overwhelmingly inspiring to Lara.A graduate of Fordham University earning a B.A. in Art History/Studio Art, Ms. Gonzalez has evolved into a versatile artist with a passion for Arts Integration. She shares this passion as a Professional Development facilitator for educators, artists and administrators including at Arts Education conventions and as keynote presenter. In addition, she is trained in Orff Schulwerk and has designed custom/adapted Drum, Dance & Song programs for Special Needs clients.

Primary Discipline

Multi-Disciplinary

Additional Disciplines

Dance - General
Dance - Ethnic
Dance - Modern / Contemporary
Dance - Tap / Percussive
Humanities - Art History & Criticism
Humanities - Cultural Heritage
Humanities - History
Humanities - Linguistics
Literary Arts - General
Literary Arts - Spoken Word
Music - General
Music - Composition
Music - Ethnic / World
Music - Jazz
Music - New
Music - Traditional
Theater - General
Theater - Devised / Artist-Led
Visual/Crafts - General
Visual/Crafts - Experimental
Visual/Crafts - Installation
Visual/Crafts - Light Art

Activities

Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
Arts Instruction / Lessons
Community Arts
Consulting - Curatorial Services
Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
Curriculum Development
Exhibitions
Performance / Concert / Reading
Professional Development / Training
Professional Network Gatherings / Events
Public Art Projects (In Free, Public Spaces)
Residency - Community
Residency - In School
Residency - Production / Development
Residency - Other
Theater Technical Production
Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class

Additional Information

  • Year founded: 1998
  • Approx. 480 events per year
  • Geographic Reach: City/Town-wide, County-wide, Surrounding Counties/Region, State-wide, Surrounding States/Region, Nationally, Internationally
  • Seasons active: Year round