photo credit: John Walder

Krista Martins
Dancer.Choreographer.Educator 

For everyone there is a defining moment that changes the course of things to come. For Krista Martins it was an impromptu audition in New York City that propelled her dance dreams further and faster than she could have hoped for at just 20-years old.

Krista’s affair with dance started in parents’ living room, in her hometown just outside Toronto, Canada, performing to soca, reggae, and dancehall for family and friends. Never shying away from an audience, a teenaged Krista later found herself on stage performing as a principal dancer at her all-arts high school, graduating with honors at the top of her class.

In university, she studied dance under former Prima Ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, Nadia Potts, all the while pursuing a work life in dance to help pay her way through school. Her first gigs included dancing at an NFL half-time show, and a spot on the roster of Blaze Entertainment. It was her time with Blaze, an all-female dance troupe, which spiked her self-confidence and true dance identity.

After arriving in New York City, Krista landed dance appearances on Soul Train, Fox News, NBC, MTV, B.E.T., and continued to perform for corporate clients including Absolut and Anheuser-Busch. Later she branched out into campaign work, lining up a gig with the Lifetime television network for Women – Stop the Violence Against Women Campaign. Some other projects included modeling for PLANET Magazine and Gangsta Goodies (an urban t-shirt line), as well as other stints in editorial.

Today, Krista is a professor of dance at Long Island University – her most unique stage yet – teaching hip-hop and the Practical Preparation for Dancer program, which helps graduating students prepare for the world of auditions and castings.  She is also a founding member and artistic director of Border Crossing Collective, a performance art collective which aims to blur artistic borders all the while entertaining you, the curious audience.

In her spare time, although sparse, Krista teaches dance workshops for the Department of Homeless Services for displaced and abused children.

She lives in Brooklyn where she can usually be found dancing, singing in the shower, or both.