This is me…
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Clara Bello is personally drawn to Caribbean music and culture. She was raised dancing many Latinx and Caribbean dance styles, but came to develop her passion for Salsa in college. She trained at Santo Rico Dance School and was one of the founding members of Yamuleé Dance School. She has performed with Bajarí de Yamuleé, Yamuleé Dance Company, and La Magia Dancers.
As an immigrant and woman of color, Clara is greatly troubled by the current state of our nation. She is doing her part by continuing the fight from inside the classroom and entering into dialogue with others outside. Clara volunteers in church initiatives to help marginalized members of her community, including missions to various parts of Latin America. In late 2014, she also participated in the Dove ‘Love Your Curls’ Campaign to raise awareness about the impact of the explicit and implicit social messages we send our children, even with something as “simple” as hair. She is raising her daughters to love people and celebrate differences. She is praying for peace in our global community. While fun-loving and adventure-seeking, Clara also has come to appreciate the miracle of silence and stillness. She is interested in learning more about sustainability practices and how to be a better human.
This is my work…
Clara is the full-time Dance Educator and Arts Liaison at Dos Puentes Elementary School, in the heart of Washington Heights. Since 2006, she has been teaching elementary and middle school students as a literacy intervention teacher, classroom teacher, and dance educator. She holds a B.A. in French, a Master’s in Bilingual Childhood Education, 30 credits in Dance Education, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Clara is a DEL graduate and Arnhold New Dance Teacher Alumna. She holds the following New York State licenses: Common Branches, Bilingual Extension, Dance, School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL) licenses.
Clara is a member of the NYCDOE Office of Arts & Special Projects (OASP) Dance Transition Team and a Facilitator for the OASP and Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at the 92Y. Current and previous projects include work as a Reviewer for the Arnhold Dance Curriculum / Unit Review Program and Tutor for the Arnhold Dance Teacher Tutoring Program. She was part of the NYCDOE Dance Curriculum Writing Team (2015) and contributed to the revision of the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts – Dance (2015). She was also a Proctor and Scorer for the NYCDOE Arts Achieve Dance Assessment (2010-2013). Clara is a current member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).
Clara’s passion lies in her love of social dances for their ability to bring people together from different walks of life and for the pure joy they bring to the communities that embrace them. Her dance program blends her passion for the humanities with principles of creative movement with curricula taught primarily in Spanish. Clara is interested in exploring relationships between the arts and issues of equity, human rights and social justice, language learning (of all kinds), academic achievement, social-emotional learning, interdisciplinary learning, curriculum development / implementation, formative assessment, community building, and best practices for establishing and maintaining a positive and challenging learning environment. She enjoys collaborating with other educators, mentoring teachers, and learning about different cultures.