Nelida Silva

Raised and born in Llamellin, an Andean village in North-Eastern Peru, Nelida has been dancing her entire life – raised in a community where dance was part of the fabric of life.
From almost the day she arrived in New York in 1988 from Peru, she has been committed in bringing traditional Peruvian dance and music to US audiences – and with it, the warmth and connection of her community-based culture; became a volunteer at the International Center in New York, this placed was the point where Nelida started her career as events organizer. She was the volunteer of the Program Department, where all the cultural events were coordinated.
She joined Danzas y Estampas del Peru on 1988 a folk Peruvian troupe in the NYC area. Three years later on 19991 when Danzas y Estampas was no longer in existence, co-founded Ballet Folklorico Peru. In 2001 Nelida debuted the one-woman show “Danzando mi vida”, the story of her life as an immigrant. Also entered into a new type of dance, a hybrid between traditional and modern, she joined Andean. By 2002 she worked as events coordinator for La Casita/Lincoln Center. In 2004, worked as curator and organizer for the Folk Program of the Westchester Arts Council co-producing “Fiesta Andina,” then she acted in the Pachamama committee, a Peruvian Program from the Traditional Center for Music & Dance in NYC; and now she is devoted to recollect on videos Dances from remote villages in the Andes.