Meet Rey Bermudez | Teaching Artist, Enrichment Counselor & Relational Dance Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rey Bermudez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rey, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Dance has been a integral part of my life-story. My mother introduced me to all types of music and movement when I was a kid. It was being ridiculed by friends when I was a tween that motivated me to learn how to dance. Dance helped me to graduate from high school after dropping out. I was able to use dance to earn money as a performer and choreographer for a variety of singers and dance teams. I turned dance into a successful business teaching thousands of people of all ages and creating original dance theater productions using novice community members. Moreover, it was dance that allowed me the opportunity to stretch my skills and influence by developing a college level course to study the physics of Salsa. At this point in my life, I thought that this was the pinnacle of my relationship dance.

However, God would have other plans. After completing my BA in Human Services, I often prayed about the next steps in my career. I was well-known as a Salsa and Latin dance instructor, as well as a youth development practitioner with an established career in education. Still, my real interests were in helping others have healthy relationships, particularly marriages. Thus, I pursed an MA in counseling with a focus on marriage and family. It was while I was attaining this degree that I discovered I wanted to offer something different than traditional counseling or talk therapy. I wanted to use dance in the way that dance helped me. Today, I am a professional teaching artist and enrichment counselor using what I have deemed “the relational dance” a unique skill-building experience that equips individuals and couples with the essential tools for cultivating healthy relationships. I am blessed to do this locally though PK-12 and colleges, as well as partner with national organizations to offer enrichment to couples on an annual marriage cruise.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My desire is to move communities, especially communities of color, toward relational health one step at a time. Dance is the vehicle and instrument that allows us to listen more than we speak, empathize more than judge, and connect us more than divide us. We all participate in the relational dance daily.

Using partners dances like Salsa, I am able to encourage somatic awareness in classrooms, companies, and with couples leading to fluid conversations and authentic connections. Research shows that we learn best while moving and active. Research also shows that we are in an epidemic of loneliness in the U.S. I believe the struggles we face today are a result a lack of underdeveloped relational skills. I just want to help develop the skills that make for beautiful choreography in homes, schools, communities, and beyond.

The most challenging aspect of this work is that it is experiential. Since there are very few using dance this way, it is not a resource one would consider as a viable resource for transformation. However, with every event, presentation, and workshop, more an more people see the power dance has on educating and equipping for everyday life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I consider Hartford a small mighty city. Beyond its rich history and monuments, there are many space and places to practice your relational dance. Of course places to eat would include Parkville Market, which is like a mini Quincy Market in Boston, Angelina’s Pizza, which is the closest to a NY slice I can get, and Bears Smokehouse for the best BBQ. Hartford is rich in the arts. From the Hartford Stage and Theaterworks for an amazing play to Wadsworth Atheneum and Real Artways for all kinds of art to the Artist Collective for the arts and culture of the African Diaspora. Then we would do some dancing at Hartford Ballroom with a variety of classes throughout the week and depending on the time of year we would continue our dancing on Pratt Street or other summer spaces. To wind down we’d hang at any of the sprawling parks with rose gardens like Elizabeth Park, carousels like Busnhell Park, or a quick game of golf at Keney or Goodwin Parks. Finally, the trip would not be complete without a visit to any of the neighborhoods around the city to see the beautiful works of art on the sides of buildings including the largest mural in New England.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife and kids. My mom and brothers. My faith community, Crossroads Community Cathedral. My mentors Stuart and Tracey Palmer, as well as Eduardo Rivera. My best friend Victor Pacheco. My colleague Dr. Tamara Mitchell-Davis.

Website: relationaldance.com or reybermudez.com

Instagram: @onenessdance or @itsreybermudez

Linkedin: Rey Bermudez

Facebook: Rey Bermudez