Joel Valentin-Martinez

Joel Valentin-Martinez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in San Francisco, CA. He began his dance career as a student with Oakland’s Dimensions Dance Theater, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, and at San Francisco State University. From 1990 to 2003 he performed as a senior member of the world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance. Since retiring from Garth Fagan Dance he has devoted his time to teaching at the university level, community-based arts initiatives in dance, and developing his own choreography projects. At Arizona State University he served as rehearsal director for choreography projects by Delfos Danza Contemporánea from Mazatlán, Mexico, Nora Chipaumire and Robert Moses. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University.