Heryka Miranda Performs During McDaniel’s Phenomenal Women Recognition Program 3/25

Choreographer and dancer Heryka Miranda will perform during McDaniel's annual Phenomenal Women Recognition program from 4-6 p.m. March 25 in Little Baker Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Miranda - whose passion for dance and her Latin American roots have driven her studies of Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and Flamenco dance forms - will perform a piece titled, "Coming Back to Mother Earth." The piece, she says, is inspired by her desire to reconnect and fall in love with Mother Earth as she dances her interpretation of a tree's spirit to the song, "Arbol de la Vida," by Lila Downs.

Miranda's dances are thought-provoking pieces that are inspired by her commitment to human rights and social justice. She says she is motivated by her life journey in understanding the traditions, responsibilities, expectations and privileges of her bicultural identity as the proud daughter of Guatemalan immigrant parents who was born and raised in the United States.

When she was 11, Miranda started formal ballet and jazz training. At 19, she immersed herself in the study of modern dance. She is trained in Dance/Movement Therapy from the Antioch Graduate School in New Hampshire, and has completed a one-year intensive Expressive Arts Therapy program at the International School for Interdisciplinary Studies in Toronto, Canada. She holds a bachelor's degree in Government and Politics, specializing in Latin American Studies, from the University of Maryland.

Miranda also weaves her love of dance into her community work. She assists and performs with special-needs individuals through the Spirit Movers dance troupe at the L'Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. She also is a dancer with the Toronto-based Limitless Productions dance company and is co-founder of ReVeAL Dance Creation, a dance- and performance-based leadership program for youth with special needs and disabilities at Downsview Secondary School in North York, Ontario.

The Phenomenal Women Recognition program started in 2000 to recognize women at the College who, through their dedication, support and commitment to empowering other women, are having a significant impact on the campus. Previous honorees have included Karen Violanti, assistant dean for first-year students; Linda Semu, assistant professor in Sociology; and Maria Melendez, academic secretary in Foreign Languages and Philosophy and Religious Studies. This year's honorees will be announced during the program.

McDaniel College, a private four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences, was founded in 1867 as Western Maryland College. Students pursue more than 60 programs of study, including dual majors and student-designed majors. The 1,700 undergraduates and 1,300 graduate students receive personal attention and take advantage of leadership opportunities in the close-knit community, where the average class size is 17 and professors are dedicated mentors. The 160-acre campus is located in Westminster, Md., 30 miles northwest of Baltimore and 56 miles north of Washington, D.C.