My name is Leticia and I have always been a passionate dancer. The first time I came into contact with ROOTS&ROUTES was in 2006 when I went to the auditions in Cologne. At that time, as a participant, I was so proud to meet different talents from Europe in this one-week project and to make new friends with people I am still close to today. Getting the chance to then perform with all the singers, dancers and media people at the Summer Jam Festival in Cologne was a great experience.

After a three-month student programme in NYC and professionalising my dance skills in 2007, I got the chance to work as an urban dance coach for a ROOTS & ROUTES project called “ROOTS&ROUTES goes Bergisch Gladbach” in 2008. Since then I have been coaching this project year after year and it is a great honour for me because this project is not only about being intercultural and bringing different people together to create impressive art based on hip hop culture; this annual project also works on very important and current social and political issues like “anti-racism”, “against discrimination”, “tolerance for refugees”, etc.

A very special experience with ROOTS & ROUTES was the international project “(De-)Construct Gender: Urban Culture for Equality and Sexual Diversity” on the German island of Baltrum in 2015, as I personally have a strong connection to this topic through my gender studies at university. And the opportunity to combine my passion and social concern with very motivated international talents was a great experience.

The work and collaboration with ROOTS & ROUTES means a lot to me and enriches my passion as a dancer and dance trainer because it combines important values like passion, respect, humanity, social reflection and much more. Values that are very important for a peaceful and harmonious coexistence of different people. I hope and wish to remain part of the ROOTS & ROUTES projects and family in the coming years!