Photo: American Statesman

Dr. Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard, Founding Director and Choreographer

With roots in the mountains of Cayey, Puerto Rico, Dr. Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard is a proud blood descendant of the native Tainos who call the island Boriken. Ana María was raised in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in the suburbs of La Isla (Bronx, Puerto Rico), and had dedicated her life to preserving and handing down Puerto Rico's cultural traditions to the next generation. Puerto Rican music and dance were always a vibrant and active part of Ana María's life. Growing up she was surrounded by elders who kept cultural traditions alive because of nostalgia for home. She looked forward to weddings, baptisms and birthday parties where family and friends would bring congas, cuatros, guiros, and maracas, and she would dance to the rhythms of Puerto Rico all night long. As a young child, Ana María enjoyed playing percussion on "latas de galletas" (tins of Export Soda crackers) to the sounds of latin albums she would buy with her own allowance. As an adult, Ana Maria was inspired to bring her rich culture to life in Austin Texas so her baby son could know the joy of her childhood.

Tekina-eirú founded Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance in 1997, and since then, has become an expert resource on the mainland US for Puerto Rico's cultural traditions. She regularly returns to La Isla for research, workshops and mentorship with generous folklore masters such as Modesto Cepeda (Escuela de Bomba y Plena), Joaquin Nieves Caldero (Guateque Ballet Folklorico), J. Emanuel Dufrasne-Gonzalez and Nelie Lebron-Robles (Paracumbe), Eric Gonzalez (Gibaro de PR), and Tata Cepeda (Escuela de Baile de Bomba Dona Caridad). She has taken Bomba and Plena drum making workshops with Papo DelValle and Juan Fuentes, artisans who have made PRFDance's official drums. Tekina-eirú is mentored in her native traditions by Cacike Caciba Opil of the Concilio Taino Guatu-Ma-cu A Boriken, and is their recognized Tekina Suania (Tierra Firme/for the Americas).

In addition to ongoing training by Puerto Rican masters, Ana María has studied a variety of dance forms in New York and Austin, including classical ballet under Arletta Howard-Logan and Mexican folkloric dance under Roy Lozano, Chuy Chacon, and Jaime Guerrero (Monterrey, MX). Tekina-eirú began studying classical piano at age 5, learned barriles and panderos with Modesto Cepeda, is self-taught on guitar and native flute, and adds cuatro -- and of course maraca -- to the list of instruments she loves to play. Her past credits include mainstage performances on the Paramount and Zilker Hillside theatres with the Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklórico de Texas professional company (1993-1997) and Austin Dance Ensemble. She co-choreographed and danced in the Cenzontle music video "La Bruja" (1998).

Ana María is honored to have co-directed and shared the stage with Modesto Cepeda (2001), Los Pleneros de la 21 (2002), Guateque (2003), Paracumbe (2004), William Cepeda with AfroBoricua (2005), Gibaro de PR (2006), Tata Cepeda (2007), El Concilio Taino (2008), and Los Tambores de Felix Alduen (2009). Tekina-eirú is Founding Director of the Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance & Cultural Center, and director and choreographer of PRFDance's performing company of dancers and musicians. She enjoys creating original company musicals that tell stories based in Puerto Rico's history and cultural traditions, a skill that is maturing under the mentorship of Rupert Reyes, Director of Teatro Vivo. Ana María teaches traditional dance and music, Puerto Rican culture and history to children and adults.

Tekina-eirú was named the Austin YWCA Woman of the Year for Arts (2005), and was recognized for her contributions to the Taino community with Areito Award for Dance and Theatre (2009). In addition to her artistic credits, Ana María holds a doctorate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon and conducts Globalization & Multilingual Research at the IBM Research Human Ability & Accessibility Center. Puerto Rican music and dance has always been a very special part of Tekina-eirú's life. She is very proud to share the joy of her rich traditions with her community, and hand down her cultural heritage to the next generation!