La Mezcla

Bringing together tap dance, Son Jarocho (a music and dance tradition from Veracruz, Mexico), Afro-Caribbean rhythms and movement, and live Jazz music, La Mezcla’s repertoire show features excerpts of their award-winning production “Pachuquísmo,” new show “Ghostly Labor,” and company repertoire. Rooted in historical references, activism and polyrhythmic dance arrangements, audience members of all ages will learn about the history of Pachuca culture, while clapping their hands for labor rights.  

La Mezcla Company Bio: La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic, San Francisco-based dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Founded in 2015 by Dance/USA fellow Vanessa Sanchez, their work brings together Tap dance, Son Jarocho and Afro-Caribbean rhythms to bring the often unseen histories and experiences of communities of color to stages, film screens, streets and fields. The production “Pachuquísmo,” an all-womxn Tap dance and Son Jarocho performance about Pachucas and the Zoot Suit Riots, received the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Production, and has toured internationally to venues including Jacob’s Pillow (MA), Lincoln Center (NY) and Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris (Mexico City). La Mezcla’s new work “Ghostly Labor,” which explores the legacy of labor in the US-Mexico borderlands and the joy of collective resistance, is currently touring the US. Committed to using dance for social change, La Mezcla offers paid internships & mentorships, free artistic training and grant workshops through their program “Connecting Communities,” and has partnered with organizations including Lincoln Center Education, KQED Arts, and Ayudando Latinos a Soñar Farmworker Fridays to provide educational opportunities and hands-on community engagement. 

Vanessa Sanchez is a Chicana dancer, choreographer, and educator dedicated to community arts and traditional dance forms that amplify the voices and experiences of Latina, Chicana, and Indigenous womxn and youth. Based in San Francisco, she is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of La Mezcla, a womxn-of-color-led rhythmic dance company that explores historical narratives and social justice through tap dance, Son Jarocho, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. A 2019 Dance/USA Artist Fellow and a Rainin 2025 Arts Fellow, Sanchez is committed to increasing access to high-quality arts education and performance opportunities while mentoring emerging artists and youth of color in the Bay Area. From 2020 to 2023, she was a dance lecturer at UC Santa Cruz and is currently an artist-in-residence at Brava! For Women in the Arts.

Company Funders: Mellon Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, National Performance Network, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, California Arts Council, Kenneth Rainin Foundation and Brava! For Women in the Arts.5