Mercedes Balarezo is an Ecuadorian dance artist and pedagogue based in Helsinki. For her, dance and education are tools that can bring us closer to a fair and equalitarian society. A broad background in teaching dance to children and young people has taught Mercedes that art pedagogy can aim towards a world where all bodies and voices are seen and heard and where creative expression is democratized. During her professional career, she has been balancing her demanding work as a dance teacher in her studio in Quito, her life as a dancer, and the direction of choreographic projects. The topics she has explored in her creative work are eclectic. A common thread is her interest in bringing people together, the exploration of the Ecuadorian and Latin identity and the zones where pedagogy meets the art. Currently, Mercedes is interested in exploring the relationship between voice and movement in her work “The Voice as a Limb: Sounding Dance Laboratory”. Mercedes strongly believes in the power of togetherness and justice and that is the direction where she aims her artistic practice to.