Borinquen Dance Theatre marks end of an era

At the 1981 Puerto Rican Festival, Garth Fagan announced that his student Nydia Padilla-Rodríguez would start a Latino dance group following her departure from his own dance company. This came as a surprise to Padilla-Rodríguez, who had no plans to offer dance classes, let alone open her own dance studio.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, where’s he going with this?’” Padilla-Rodríguez says. “I was in shock, and then I realized, he must see something in me that I don’t see.”

After she finished performing at the festival, people approached Padilla-Rodríguez, asking when her dance lessons would start. Hector Arguinzoni, who worked at the Puerto Rican Arts and Cultural Center at the time, also approached her. He offered to help her figure out how to make it work.

That surprise announcement 45 years ago launched her career. As founder and artistic director of Borinquen Dance Theatre, Padilla-Rodríguez has taught folkloric dances, such as bomba and plena, to young people in Rochester. Now, she plans to pass her role on to the next generation at the end of the year. Jayme Bermudez, who currently serves as assistant artistic director, will take over Padilla-Rodríguez’s role when she retires in December.

“We’ve known each other for over 20 years,” Padilla-Rodríguez says. “He is doing an amazing job at this point. I feel very confident that we’re ready for this transition. 

Bermudez recently completed the St. John Fisher University leadership program for nonprofit organizations to prepare for his new role.

“He has an amazing experience with theater, and dance choreography, and he’s made impressions with major productions in Rochester,” Padilla-Rodríguez says. “I feel that we’re really moving forward with the infrastructure that we need.”

Borinquen Dance Theatre has become a renowned dance school and a staple of Rochester’s Puerto Rican community. 

“Borinquen is the original name of the island of Puerto Rico,” Padilla-Rodríguez says. She and Arguinzoni came up with the name for the dance theater together. The island’s rich intersection of the African, the Taíno Indigenous, and the European Spanish influences is what makes us very unique.”

That uniqueness has made BDT widely known in Rochester. Padilla-Rodríguez was recently the first recipient of the Puente de Esperanza Award from the city of Rochester, recognizing her years of service through BDT. The Monroe County Hispanic Heritage Celebration Committee also recently recognized her.

The dance company currently has 10 employees, two of whom are full-time. Most are alumni who learned at BDT as students and returned to teach part-time.

“When the alumni return as instructors and mentors, it creates that intergenerational cycle of leadership that strengthens both the organization and the community,” Padilla-Rodríguez says. “For me, that’s a blessing.”

BDT’s students are held to a high standard. Students must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA, which has proven effective. BDT says that more than 90% of its dancers graduate and pursue college or professional careers. 

“For me, academic achievement and school attendance is a key ingredient,” explains Padilla-Rodríguez. “In order for them to receive a stipend, they have to learn a repertoire of at least five or six dances to become young professional artists. At the same time, they learn about work habits and transfer that discipline to their schoolwork. They serve as cultural ambassadors in the community and become models for other young students.”

Padilla-Rodríguez says that she’s had over 10,000 students who have learned valuable life skills like teamwork, leadership, goal setting, academic accountability and positive relationships during their time at BDT. Senior performing group members at BDT, who are aged 14 to 19, receive a stipend for balancing dance and school.

“It’s amazing to see that youth and families and alumni describe our organization as a second home where they felt supported,” Padilla-Rodríguez says. They’re being challenged and connected to their cultural roots.”

Padilla-Rodríguez says BDT receives funding from a variety of funders, as well as individual donors and partnerships. The nonprofit reported a deficit of $47,972 on $176,270 in revenue in 2025, according to its latest Form 990. 

On Nov. 7, Borinquen will celebrate 45 years and its leadership transition with a celebratory anniversary gala.

Audra Fitzgerald is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s third cohort.

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