The Ohio State University Department of Dance welcomes Gerson Lanza Ruiz to our faculty in autumn 2025 as a tenure-track assistant professor. Gerson is an Afro-Honduran immigrant and tap dancer exploring the intersections of multiculturalism, migration, and cultural embodiment. His experiences in the U.S. have sparked his interest in the connections between tap dance and Latin America within the context of the African diaspora. Through his identity as an Afro-Latino, Gerson redefines "Black" as a term that goes beyond ethnic and racial boundaries, encompassing diverse languages and traditions.
Gerson’s performance work blends percussive dance with jazz, Latin, and funk with spoken word in English, Spanish, and Garifuna, showcasing his cultural heritage. He emphasizes the contributions of Afro-Latino/as to Latin studies, encouraging audiences to reflect on their identities within the broader Black cultural landscape in the United States. His work focuses on reasserting Blackness to include Afro-Latinidad, advocating for Afro-Diasporic studies in dance education, and confronting systemic oppression in the arts. Through his art and scholarship, Gerson invites exploration of the diverse voices shaping our cultural landscape.
He has completed residencies at The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Guggenheim Work and Progress Series, and the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center with the New York-based company Music From The Sole, led by Leonardo Sandoval and Gregory Richardson. In his own right, he has been featured as a Strathmore Amplify Artist and Artist in Residence, headlined the Millennium Stage with his jazz quintet at The Kennedy Center, and was showcased in the Artist at the Center program at New York City Center, curated by Ayodele Casel. This included receiving his first New York Times review for his choreographic work. Gerson received his MFA from the University of Maryland and a BA from Wake Forest University.
"I am extremely excited to explore the possibilities in dance performance, innovation, and collaboration at Ohio State," says Gerson. "I bring new textures, shapes, and narratives of exploration. Let's dance, explore, and discover."