Roberta: A Bold Force in New York’s Dance Scene

Roberta, a solo performer originally from Mexico City, has emerged as one of New York’s  distinctive and commanding voices in commercial and theatrical dance. A presence impossible to overlook, she is carving her own path on the city’s most visible stages, already leaving a mark across the industry.

This past June, Roberta delivered a standout performance at Broadway Bares: Temptation, the annual gala benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Held at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 22, the sold-out event raised over $2.4 million for the LGBTQ+ community and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. A cornerstone of Broadway’s philanthropic calendar, the event annually features Broadway’s brightest stars, high-caliber dancers, and celebrity guests — this year including Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard) and Todrick Hall.

Roberta appeared as the soloist in a witch-themed number choreographed by Marie Rose Baramo. Conceptually daring and viscerally evocative, the piece explored seduction and transformation under the broader theme of temptation. Baramo hand-selected Roberta for the role, entrusting her with the central solo — a powerful, sensual dance that became one of the evening’s most talked-about moments. For those in attendance, Roberta’s performance was not just a highlight — it was a clear affirmation of her talent within the professional dance community.

Earlier this year, Roberta continued to challenge boundaries with her solo work in The Doll House Experience, an urban burlesque production curated by Kendrick Samuels. The show premiered in January at The Racket Club in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, an incubator space for rising and genre-pushing performers. Roberta took center stage, delivering a solo that seamlessly fused heels choreography with elements of urban and Latin movement vocabularies. Samuels, known for his work with international pop artists including International Popstar, Tyla, immediately recognized her potential and invited her to join his company.

The collaboration proved creatively fruitful. Roberta has since become a lead performer in Samuels’ company and is already booked for several upcoming productions. “It was liberating,” she shares, speaking of The Doll House Experience. “In Mexico, you don’t often get to express femme sensuality so openly. On that stage, I allowed myself to be. That freedom, that ownership — it’s everything.”

Baramo and Roberta have since reunited on a new project, continuing a creative synergy that is fast becoming one of the more exciting artist-choreographer partnerships to watch. As Roberta continues to lend her voice, movement, and presence to projects across New York and beyond, her Latin heritage remains at the heart of her expression. “There’s a fire in it,” she says. “A Latin passion you don’t turn off. I bring that into every room I walk into as a performer.”

Looking ahead, Roberta’s trajectory only ascends. This October, she will join international reggaeton artist Dei V onstage during his residency at El Coliseo de Puerto Rico (known locally as “El Choliseo”), one of the island’s most prestigious venues. It’s a move that signals not only Roberta’s versatility but her growing demand as a principal performer across commercial music and stage.