Javier "Javi" Padilla (he/they) is a multidisciplinary movement based artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. His choreographic work has been shown at Judson Memorial Church, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob’s Pillow among others. His choreographic project, The Movement Playground, has been awarded multiple residencies and commissions through New Dance Alliance (LiftOff!), Gibney Dance (Work Up 5.0), Mana Contemporary in collaboration with Gibney (New Voices), and a two-time CUNY Dance Initiative Awardee with Hostos Performing Arts Center. Javi has danced professionally with Falcon Dance and Summation Dance based in NYC. Javi's work is deeply rooted in improvisational practices that involve movement, sound creation, video design and spoken word. Their scholarly research involves decolonial approaches to dance and theater education, the interconnectedness of table-top role playing games and immersive dance theater as viable decolonial performance methodologies and amplifying the Caribbean voice in higher education.