Martha’s work as an educator has always been on a parallel track to her work as a dance artist. She has taught across all five boroughs of NYC for institutions such as the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Lincoln Center Institute, The Kitchen as well as Hook Arts Media (formerly Dance Theatre Etcetera), which she founded to make the arts a central component of community change in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Martha has played a key role in the NYC public school system. She served on planning teams that opened three new public high schools, designing and then implementing their arts education curriculum. In her role as the Executive Director at Hook Arts Media, she provided culturally-responsive arts education programs at numerous public schools across NYC serving thousands of BIPOC students.
Her approach to teaching is deeply rooted in progressive pedagogy, drawing inspiration from educators including Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, Dr. Pedro Noguera and Dr. Ernest Morrell, who emphasize students’ capacity for civic engagement through the arts.
Martha has taught as a guest artist at many colleges and universities including Rutgers University, Cornell University, Colorado College, Bloomfield College, among others. Martha currently teaches courses on site-specific performance, art and activism and arts education at New York University.
