Roman Baca
General Manager / Artistic Director
Ballet Theater Company/Exit12 Dance Company
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I served in the Marine Corps for eight years and did one tour in Fallujah, Iraq.
After I came back from Iraq, I settled into starting down a "normal" job path.
My girlfriend sat me down and said, "You're not okay. You're not the same person you used to be."
I realized something had to change, so I started thinking about what my "dream job" would be.
I knew deep down that my dream had always been to start a dance company, so I co-founded Exit12.
In 2012, I had the opportunity to go back to Iraq and teach dance through The Mission Continues.
Seeing how I could affect a culture through the arts rather than through violence was life-changing.
Soon, I'm beginning Columbia University's nonprofit management program in order to further my work.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Associate's Degree
University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
Career
General Manager / Artistic Director
I strive to create positive change through the art of dance.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Acting & Theatre
Armed Services
Being Creative
Day to Day
One of the greatest days I've ever had at work was performing one of my military-centric pieces for a classroom and then asking the students about their perceptions of war. The students engaged with each other, challenged each other's ideas, and came up with amazing new ideas. So for me, a great day at work boils down to going into a new environment, challenging perceptions, and inspiring people to create change by moving those perceptions to a place of action—that is, in essence, why I do what I do.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for professionals
Go out there and accumulate profound life experiences that will feed into your art and your personal development. Then find something you're passionate about, and then use your passion for that one thing to drive everything else that you do. For me, dance has been the driving force and the common thread between everything I've done, even when I was stationed in Iraq. There's going to be something within you that is dying to be put out into the world, so examine that, and then start creating it.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Associate's Degree
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Your art isn't good enough."
