Unidos por el Arte
Unidos por el Arte is the artist collective initiative of Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center. By joining our growing list of Latinx artists, you will be connected to creative opportunities, events, professional development tools and artist resources at the Center’s expansive campus located in Cleveland, Ohio.
unidos por el arte: artist workshop series
up next: "Africa: the Roots of Salsa" on friday, february 4
Celebrating Black History Month by embracing our shared cultural bonds.
An exciting video presentation by Salsa Historian & Dance Instructor Eileen Torres!
Featured Artist: kimberly ocampo
Artist Spotlight
Meet Kimberly Ocampo! Kimberly is a dancer new to the Cleveland area. She was born and raised in New Jersey, and her Colombian parents, who are also dancers, impacted her life to have a deep passion for rhythm, music and dance in salsa, cumbia and other styles of dancing. She began performing, teaching and competing when she was 15 years old and continued throughout the years finding her way through dance until today.
In 2015 as an able bodied dancer she moved to Miami from NJ to continue finding her way in dance. On July 19, 2015 Kimberly was riding her bicycle to work and a car struck her running a red light, causing her to have 3 different disabilities. Her life was completely changed, having to constantly finding new ways to make things possible.
After her injury, Kimberly became an honorary Miami Heat dancer in 2017, and in 2018 an apprentice dancer for a professional integrated dance company in Oakland California called Axis. She had also worked and performed with Revolution Dance Company in Tampa, Florida.
In February of 2020, she had been told that her spine had been affected with a herniated disc tearing and bulging throughout her spine. However, her passion overcame her discomfort and didn’t stop her from participating in the Paralympics in March of 2020. Kimberly competed in the first virtual worldwide Paralympic Dance sport and placed 8th out of hundreds of competitors.
She has since moved to Cleveland to restart her passion for dance, and she’s grateful that Dancing Wheels Company has given her the opportunity to chase and share her passion for music, dance and helping others. Kimberly is excited to continue dancing professionally and finding opportunities with other artists in the community.
Connect with Kimberly's work!
Artista destacada
¡Conoce a Kimberly Ocampo! Kimberly es una bailarina nueva en el área de Cleveland. Nació y creció en New Jersey, y sus padres colombianos, quienes también son bailarines, impactaron su vida al tener una profunda pasión por el ritmo, la música y el baile en salsa, cumbia y otros estilos de baile. Comenzó a actuar, enseñar y competir cuando tenía 15 años y continuó por años encontrando su camino a través de la danza hasta hoy.
En 2015, como bailarina sin discapacidad, se mudó a Miami desde NJ para continuar encontrando su camino en la danza. El 19 de julio de 2015, Kimberly iba en bicicleta al trabajo y un automóvil la atropelló al pasarse un semáforo en rojo, lo que provocó que tuviera 3 discapacidades diferentes. Su vida cambió por completo, teniendo que buscar constantemente nuevas formas de hacer las cosas posibles.
En febrero de 2020, le dijeron que su columna se había visto afectada con una hernia discal que se desgarraba y abultaba en toda la columna. Sin embargo, su pasión superó su incomodidad y no le impidió participar en los Juegos Paralímpicos en marzo de 2020. Kimberly compitió en el primer deporte virtual de baile paralímpico mundial y quedó en el octavo lugar entre cientos de competidores.
Desde entonces, se mudó a Cleveland para reiniciar su pasión por la danza, y está agradecida de que Dancing Wheels Company le haya dado la oportunidad de perseguir y compartir su pasión por la música, la danza y ayudar a los demás. Kimberly está emocionada de seguir bailando profesionalmente y de encontrar oportunidades con otros artistas de la comunidad.
¡Apoya el trabajo de Kimberly!
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