Dance Podcast Episode 161: Dance, Culture + the Next Generation, Karla Hardaway
#161: In the Season 8 finale of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast, host Martheya Nygaard Scott sits down with Karla Hardaway, award-winning dance educator, choreographer, author, advocate, and founder of the Texas Association for Dance and Culture (TADC).
Karla shares how her own experience discovering ballet folklórico in a Texas public school helped her connect with her cultural identity and ultimately shaped her career as an educator and advocate. Today, she is working to ensure more young people have access to culturally rooted dance education and the resources they need to thrive.
The conversation explores the state of dance education in Texas, the importance of preserving cultural dance traditions while making room for innovation, and the need to create stronger pathways from K–12 dance programs into higher education and professional careers.
Karla also takes us behind the scenes of the North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest, which began as a grassroots effort by educators seeking more opportunities for their students and has grown into a larger movement advocating for folklórico education and assessment across Texas.
Martheya and Karla discuss access, collaboration, community building, and why supporting the future of dance requires moving beyond competition and toward shared resources, relationships, and advocacy. Karla also reflects on technology and AI, emphasizing something technology cannot replicate: cultural identity.
As Season 8 comes to a close, this conversation reminds us that the future of dance isn't only about what's next—it's also about understanding where we come from, creating opportunities for the next generation, and ensuring more young people can see themselves reflected in dance.
In This Episode
Dance education as a pathway to cultural identity
Expanding access to dance in public schools
Preserving culturally rooted dance forms
The future of ballet folklórico education in Texas
Creating K–12 and higher education pathways
The story behind the North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest
Advocacy, collaboration, and community building
Why AI can't replace cultural identity
Empowering the next generation through dance
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Karla Hardaway
02:00 – Dance + Cultural Identity
03:00 – Building the Texas Association for Dance and Culture
05:00 – The State of Dance Education in Texas
07:00 – Preserving Tradition + Creating the Future
09:00 – Creating Pathways for the Next Generation
11:00 – Why Dance Belongs in Public Schools
12:00 – Technology, AI + Cultural Identity
15:00 – Expanding Access Through Partnerships
20:00 – The North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest
25:00 – The Future of Dance Education
28:00 – Collaboration Over Competition
33:00 – The Story Behind TADC
38:00 – Connect with Karla + TADC
About Karla Hardaway
Karla Hardaway is a dance educator, choreographer, author, and advocate for dance and culture. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Education from Texas Woman's University and an MFA in Dance Choreography from Jacksonville University.
She is co-author of Mexican Folkloric Dance and a contributor to Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design. Karla has presented at regional, state, and national conferences on dance pedagogy and folklórico education.
She co-founded the North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest, helped develop a TEA-approved Dance Appreciation course, and founded the Texas Association for Dance and Culture. An award-winning educator, Karla serves as Dance Instructor, Drill Team Director, and Folklórico Director at Creekview High School, where she is dedicated to helping students pursue higher education and develop their cultural identities through dance.
Connect with Karla + TADC
Inst- @txdanceandculture @kvhardaway
YouTube: @KarlaHardaway
Website: www.txdanceandculture.org
This season of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast is supported in part by the Moody Fund for the Arts and our generous individual Season Sponsors,
Dexter & Jenel Evans and Helen & James Gallas.
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