{{Short description|American breakdancer}} {{notability|Biographies|date=April 2015}} '''Ana Garcia''' (born 1971), better known by her stage name '''Rokafella''', is a breakdancer, dance teacher, poet, musician, and entrepreneur.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/dance/06laro.html?_r=0|title=The New York Times|date=6 August 2006 |accessdate=2015-04-29|last1=Rocco |first1=Claudia La }}</ref> She has been credited as being a femme break dance pioneer and influencing the new generation of B-Girls and B-Boys.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/hip-hop/40th-anniversary/rokafella/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815090250/http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/hip-hop/40th-anniversary/rokafella/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 15, 2013|title=Ana Rokafella Garcia Q&A|website=PBS|access-date=2019-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.langdance.com/ana-rokafella-garcia|title=DANCE AT LANG|website=DANCE AT LANG|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-24}}</ref>
== Early life == Garcia was raised in Spanish Harlem by Puerto Rican migrants and showed an early interest in breakdancing, as she saw hip hop performed in her own neighborhood.<ref name=":0" /> She states that the cultural norms of her ethnic background contributed to this mindset, stating “being of Latino background there was a difference between what the males could get away with and what the females had to do".<ref name="huffingtonpost">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/ana-rokafella-garcia-makers-interview-video_n_3691469.html|title=Ana 'Rokafella' Garcia, Pioneer Break Dancer, Talks Women In Hip Hop On MAKERS (VIDEO)|date=August 2013 |publisher=huffingtonpost.com|accessdate=2015-04-29}}</ref> She has listed her early inspirations as including Iris Chacón, KRS-One, Rita Moreno, Lauryn Hill, and Celia Cruz and used them to help develop her style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/hip-hop/40th-anniversary/rokafella/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815090250/http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/hip-hop/40th-anniversary/rokafella/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 15, 2013|title=Ana Rokafella Garcia {{!}} Q&A {{!}} Celebrating 40 Years of Hip-Hop|website=Ana Rokafella Garcia {{!}} Q&A {{!}} Celebrating 40 Years of Hip-Hop {{!}} PBS|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
== Career == In 1991, veteran breakdancer and later husband Kwikstep took Garcia on as a mentee. She would go on to dance with many crews in New York City that included The Transformers, The Breeze Team, and the New York City Float Committee, where she would eventually earn the nickname 'Rokafella'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwaydancecenter.com/faculty/rokafella|title=Rokafella|date=2017-02-28|website=Broadway Dance Center|access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref> Garcia has stated that one of the moments in her career that stood out to her was when she received applause from an audience that had gathered to watch her and others perform, which she said was rare because "up until that point since I had minimal eye-catching moves compared to the guys who were street performing."<ref name=":0" /> She has also commented that the hip hop scene is traditionally male dominated and that she and other women have received negativity from men who "find it hard to accept a woman's participation in a physically demanding genre", but that if women "stay in the game long enough the skills and the respect always come together."<ref name=":0" />
Together with Kwikstep, Garcia co-founded the non-profit hip-hop dance company Full Circle Productions, which aims to empower young dancers through the positive impact of hip-hop.<ref name="huffingtonpost" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fullcirclesouljahs.com/about-1/|title=Full Circle Prod Inc- Classic Hip-hop dance - About|website=www.fullcirclesouljahs.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref> She has performed for Full Circle and also serves as a teacher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.makers.com/profiles/591f26af4d21a801db72e830|title=Ana "Rokafella" Garcia|last=MAKERS|website=MAKERS|language=en-us|access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref> She has also served as a judge for The International Battle of the Year.<ref name=":0" />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Ana Rokafella}} Category:American breakdancers Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from East Harlem