Educational Background and Expertise Supporting Curriculum Development

Carlos Martinez is a Cuban-born dance artist, choreographer and educator whose work sits at the forefront of contemporary performance, pedagogy and cultural inquiry.

With over two decades of international experience, Martinez has developed a distinctive interdisciplinary practice that bridges Afro-Cuban epistemologies, contemporary dance and socially engaged performance. His work challenges dominant narratives in dance training, advancing embodied, intercultural and decolonial approaches that reimagine the studio as a site of collective knowledge, critical dialogue and social transformation.

He is currently a Lecturer at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD), where he teaches, mentors and contributes to curriculum development with a focus on equity, representation and the ongoing decolonisation of conservatoire education. His pedagogical approach centres relational, dialogical and practice-led methodologies that empower students as artists, thinkers and agents of change.

As a performer, Martinez’s career spans internationally renowned companies including Phoenix Dance Theatre and Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, where he performed works by leading choreographers such as Sharon Watson, Christopher Bruce, Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Aletta Collins, Ben Duke, Douglas Thorpe, Darshan Singh Bhuller, Sasha Waltz and others. His choreographic work reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, Afro-Caribbean rhythmic structures and explorations of memory, diaspora and identity.

Beyond performance, Martinez has held significant artistic and leadership roles across the UK and internationally, including rehearsal direction, artistic mentorship and the founding of dance companies in Cuba. His work consistently fosters emerging talent, international collaboration and critical engagement within the arts.

Currently completing an MA in Dance Teaching & Facilitating, his research investigates transformative pedagogies in higher education through Cuban and Latin American perspectives, contributing to wider conversations on decolonising arts education and expanding global knowledge systems.

Martinez’s practice operates at the intersection of performance-making, education and activism, positioning him as a vital voice in shaping the future of contemporary dance.