Calia Marshall

Calia Marshall (she/her) has been a Teaching Artist with NDI since 2000, became Equity Advocate in 2019, and was promoted to DEIA Manager in 2023. A dance major from Mount Holyoke College, she danced professionally from 2000-2015 and has been teaching movement and healing practices to children and adults for over 25 years, from NYC public schools to community centers in Colombia and summer camps in Ethiopia. As a dance educator, workshop facilitator, yoga instructor, musician, and choreographer, Calia strives to create spaces which are equitable and community-focused, providing opportunity for connection, healing, and growth.

Much of Calia’s professional work around diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) began with her study of therapeutic and social justice-oriented yoga practices. She has co-led yoga and social justice workshops around the country. In her role as DEIA Manager at NDI, Calia serves as co-chair of the NDI Board’s DEIA Committee, leads staff workshops about racial equity, gender pronouns, and creating inclusive classrooms, implements and runs racial affinity group spaces, facilitates regular feedback surveys to continually assess the effectiveness of NDI’s DEIA work, as well as other projects. She has presented DEIA-focused workshops at the Race Forward Conference, Gender Spectrum Symposium and National Dance Educators Organziation’s Conference, to the Associates of National Dance Institute, and for the Teacher Training Institute of the Foreign Policy Association. She currently serves on the TEI Committee of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable.