Biography

Xochitl Loco is an interdisciplinary movement artist and educator from Long Beach, California who is passionate about connecting with people from all areas of life through dance. Xochitl earned a MFA in Choreographic Inquiry from the department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA (2025) after achieving a BA in Film and Creative Writing from UC Berkeley (2015). While living in the Bay Area, Xochitl studied West African dance with Mama Naomi Washington and the late, great Papa Zakarya Diouf and trained with Diamona Coura West African Dance company. Xochitl has trained in Latin social forms from Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue since 2018 including training with Contra Tiempo's FUTURO program. Realizing the importance of arts education, Xochitl has led dance enrichment workshops for students of Long Beach Unified School District through Dramatic Results, and Newport-Mesa Unified School District through José Costas Contempo Ballet. Xochitl is also part of the first cohort of Camino al Arte’s Social impact Artist Residency, working with the locals from Atotonilco in San Miguel de Allende using visual and performing arts as a catalyst for self empowerment and self preservation. Xochitl hopes to provide a healing space through dance and artistic collaboration informed by culturally affirming movement and teaching practices.

Research Interests

As a storyteller and choreographer, Xochitl is interested in bringing to light experiences of underrepresented communities.
Growing up in a blended, multi-racial family in the United States has had a major influence on Xochitl’s interest in the Afro-Latin diaspora and topics such as racism, colorism, and decolonization of the mind and body. Being a queer 3rd-generation Chicanx who’s experienced housing insecurity, domestic violence, and the struggle of being a long-time food service and tourism worker, Xochitl often incorporates aspects of their intersectionality into a social political context.

Body positivity is another key area of interest for Xochitl as a survivor of sexual assault, recognizing the need to reconnect body and spirit. Xochitl is a lover of dance improvisation, viewing improv as a means to reveal our undomesticated selves by allowing intuition to lead the body in motion in response to sound. Despite being a student of film as an undergrad at UC Berkeley, Xochitl recognizes the importance of disconnecting from technology and artificial intelligence, resulting in their passion for live musical accompaniment and collaboration between musicians and dancers. One of Xochitl’s goals is to open a cultural arts center for underrepresented communities to heal, flourish, be safe and celebrated.

Education

● M.F.A in Choreographic Inquiry (UCLA)
● B.A. in Film and Creative Writing (UC Berkeley)
● A.A. in Dance (Long Beach City College)