Victor Torres, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno. He is currently director of Fresno State’s Los Danzantes de Aztlán (LDA) Mexican dance program, founded in 1970. Under Dr. Torres’ direction, LDA has earned top awards in Binational (US-Mexico) and national competitions. Dr. Torres serves on various Boards of Directors. He is Vice- President and parliamentarian for the Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (National Association of Folklóric Groups). He is also on the Danzantes del Valle Advisory Committee for Arte Americas, Fresno’s major Latinx cultural center. Dr. Torres also founded various folklórico-based programs that promote higher education, primarily to low-income, rural, Latinx students in the Central Valley. These programs include the annual Festival de Los Danzantes folklórico state-wide conference, the annual California State University Folklórico show, and the High School Folklórico Summit, which utilizes folklórico to motivate high school students to pursue higher education. At the university level, Dr. Torres serves in various leadership roles. He is a Co-Vice-Chair of the President’s Council for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Coordinator of the university’s Latinx graduation celebration, which draws over 14,000 people.
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