About Karla

Karla Hardaway is an educator, artist, researcher, author, choreographer, and advocate dedicated to empowering students and communities through the transformative power of dance and culture. With a career grounded in public education, particularly Title I schools, Karla has spent years building inclusive programs that uplift underrepresented voices and celebrate cultural identity.

Her work is rooted in her Mexican heritage and Ballet Folklórico. She uses culturally rooted dance forms to bridge dance fundamentals, education, identity exploration, and social impact. As the Founder of the Texas Association for Dance and Culture (TADC), Karla continues to build supportive networks, professional development, and cultural awareness for dance educators and students across the state. She is an award-winning educator and grant recipient recognized for her ability to merge artistry with advocacy.

Karla’s practice is informed by her research on cultural identity as a choreographic and pedagogical tool. She believes that dance education and culture must go hand in hand to create sustainable, impactful change.

Grounded in faith, integrity, and service, Karla is committed to shaping spaces where students feel seen, valued, and inspired to lead, with their identities at the center of their growth.

Artistic Statement

Dance is for everyone. Dance is not just movement. Dance is about connecting yourself with others, expressing emotions, telling stories, and finding pride in our creations. As an artist, I find passion in exploring the connections between dance and culture. My love for dance comes from the rich traditions of my culture as a Mexican and its beautiful form of dance, Ballet Folklórico. As an educator and choreographer, I strive to provide an environment of inclusion where every dancer feels seen, valued, and empowered. In the classroom, on stage, and in every creative setting, I encourage dancers to explore and create using their unique experiences and perspectives, using their identity as a source of strength and inspiration. My work aims to help dancers discover and express their identities and artistic voices. I believe dance helps us understand who we are and brings people together. By cultivating spaces where diverse voices and ideas are celebrated, we can create art that is not only meaningful but also transformative for both the creators and the audience. As an Artist and Researcher, my creative and educational practice centers on cultural identity and its role in developing choreography and pedagogical tools that meet the needs of all students. I explore how honoring and integrating students’ cultural identities in dance creation and curriculum fosters engagement, artistic ownership, and academic success. This work allows me to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, ensuring dance education is equitable, relevant, and reflective of the diverse voices I serve. I believe this is my calling, and I am here to serve by creating art and building systems and pathways that empower others to lead, express, and rise. As an advocate and leader, I believe that dance and culture are essential to understanding ourselves and the world. Culture is not limited to tradition or heritage; it is something we establish in the spaces we create and share with others. Culture is the connections we build, the shared experiences we cultivate, and the environments we shape.

Professional Biography

Karla Hardaway, Co-Author of Mexican Folkloric Dance, received her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Dance and a minor in Education from Texas Woman’s University in 2008 and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography from Jacksonville University in 2017. While attending TWU, Karla performed with the International Dance Company under the direction of Gladys Keeton and Danceworks, directed by Mary Williford-Shade. She has presented work on Mexican Folkloric Dance and choreographic tools for K-12 students at several national conventions, including the National Dance Association Pedagogy Conference, Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Texas Dance Educators Association, Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts, and the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

In 2009, as a performer, Karla joined the Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México de Silvia Lozano in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. She is a contributing author to Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design, second edition. She has received numerous accolades, including being named the 2019 K-12 Dance Educator of the Year by the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 2020 TDEA Dance Educator of the Year, 2023 Creekview High School Teacher of the Year, and 2025 UTEACH Outstanding Fine Arts Educator, award presented by the University of Texas in Austin.

Karla has received multiple grants from the CFBISD Education Foundation and the Credit Union of Texas Foundation, which inspired her to establish the Texas Association for Dance and Culture (TADC). Her passion for supporting dance education grew even more after witnessing elementary and middle school students participate in the North Texas Ballet Folklórico Contest without proper folklórico footwear. This moment motivated her to create a nonprofit that could address the needs of young dancers and educators. Karla credits her high school dance teacher, Diana Elizabeth Gallego, for fostering her love of cultural dance and inspiring her journey as an educator and advocate for dance and culture.

Karla is one of the 18 educators who founded the North Texas Ballet Folklorico Contest, presented by AT&T Performing Arts Center. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Mountain View College in Dallas, Texas, and has choreographed for Texas Woman's University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and numerous school districts across the state.

In 2021, Karla played a pivotal role in developing the Dance Appreciation: African American and Mexican Folkloric Studies course, which the Texas Education Agency approved. She collaborates with school districts and dance educators statewide through her ongoing efforts, empowering them to embrace and promote cultural diversity in their teaching practices.

Karla is a full-time Dance Instructor, Drill Team Director, and Folklórico Dance Company Director at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas. With 18+ years of teaching experience, her practice research focuses on cultural identity as an impetus for choreography. Karla is dedicated to helping her students achieve their goals for higher education while fostering their cultural identities through the art of dance.

Philosophy of Education

Dance education allows students to develop kinesthetic and spatial awareness, alongside the knowledge and skills necessary to create, perform, and understand movement as an artistic form of communication. Beyond technical training, dance provides a platform for students to explore identity, culture, and community. It empowers them to examine realities, relationships, and ideas, fostering aesthetic and cultural awareness through embodied learning.

As a dance educator with experience from K to collegiate level, I teach students fundamental to advanced dance skills through a curriculum that includes diverse dance genres, improvisation, choreography, dance history, anatomy, world dance forms, and composition. Students engage in both formal and informal performance opportunities that encourage them to develop their artistic voice, creativity, and confidence. I believe that physical fitness, self-esteem, and independence are strengthened when students are allowed to explore and express their perspectives through movement.

Central to my teaching philosophy is the belief that dance must reflect the cultural identities and lived experiences of the students in the room. I intentionally incorporate culturally rooted dance forms, teaching practices, and choreography. By exposing students to global and community-based dance practices, including but not limited to Ballet Folklórico, African diasporic forms, and social dance traditions, I help them develop respect for cultural diversity and foster a deeper understanding of how dance shapes and reflects human experience.

I also believe in creating events that engage and uplift the community, such as dance workshops, lecture demonstrations, and free public performances. These initiatives offer students a platform to teach and share their work while giving the community access to dance as a tool for education and cultural celebration. These experiences cultivate student leadership and public engagement and deepen connections between school, culture, and community.

Dance allows students to learn about themselves and others by working collaboratively with their peers in a supportive, respectful environment. It is my priority to maintain a classroom culture where students feel safe to explore, take risks, and grow. By modeling respect, I reinforce the understanding that the dance studio is a dialogue, discovery, and inclusion space.

As a passionate and committed educator, I take great pride in teaching all dance styles, choreography, improvisation, and world dance. I approach each class with high expectations, cultural awareness, and integrity. My ultimate goal is to support students in finding their artistic voice, setting meaningful goals, and leaving them with the tools and confidence to contribute artistically, culturally, and academically within and beyond the field of dance

About Karla

Artistic Statement

Professional Biography

Philosophy of Education

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