Hip Hop Dance and Identity

Julio Medina is a dance artist and educator from Los Angeles. His first experiences with dance began late in high school where he was part of a small breaking/hip-hop crew. Originally setting out to study physical therapy or business, Medina changed his career interests when he started training in modern dance and ballet.

An alumnus of Emory University, Medina completed his BA in dance and movement studies as a Quest Bridge Scholar. While there, he danced with StaibDance led by choreographer George Staib, and also worked with Kyle Abraham and Tara Lee of the Atlanta Ballet. In 2009, Medina founded TrickaNomeTry (TNT) Dance Crew, an all-male hip-hop crew that performs in the Atlanta community to this day.

As a Mellon Mays Fellow, Medina studied hip-hop on the concert stage and earned his MFA at UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance in 2016. Medina's graduate research investigates hyper masculinity, sexuality, and power culminating in a solo titled I Gotta, which has been performed at the CONDERDance Festival 2018, American Dance Festival Alumni Weekend Concert 2018, and the Dance Studies Association 2018 Conference at the University of Malta in Valletta, Malta.

Medina is a company member of David Rousseve|REALITY, a dance company from Los Angeles directed by choreographer David Rousseve. He has been a member since 2016, touring the company's latest work Halfway to Dawn at venues such as Roy & Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jacob's Pillow.

Medina's academic career began in 2017 at California State University, Long Beach where he taught modern dance and hip-hop in the Department of Dance. Medina is delighted to return to Emory University as Assistant Professor of Dance in Fall 2019.