Maritess Escueta

Maritess Escueta began her dance training at the Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey under the instruction of Viorica Stampfel, Jennifer James Church, Nicholas and Shayne Mishoe, and Bridget Denise Trochiano. While in high school, she was a Trainee at the Joffrey Ballet Chicago and performed works by Stefanie Batten Bland, Gerald Arpino, and Alexei Kremnev. She continued her dance studies at Case Western Reserve University and graduated with degrees in dance and sociology. Her awards include Top 12 at Youth America Grand Prix Semi Finals, the Creative Arts Achievement Award in Dance, and the Lily Dreyfuss award in dance. Most recently, her research on professional dancers of color won awards at the Research ShowCASE at CWRU and the Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Sociology Symposium.