Meet Franklin Cruz | Writer, Dancer, Cultural Worker, Nerd

We had the good fortune of connecting with Franklin Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Franklin, why did you pursue a creative career?
At first it wasn’t really an option and over time it became one. I was studying biology in college and was offered a position with a non-profit to teach at the intersecting themes of nature, culture, arts and leadership. It launched my visibility into different communities outside just art. I learned this option was viable, abundant and meant for me. I remember thinking while I was in college “who’s gonna hire a biology nerd who’s only work experience is in performance and arts education?” Now I am being brought in by many different people from all walks of life. It fulfilled what I wanted to do with a biology degree which I never finished. My art has granted me access to the same scientific spaces my degree would have.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am nerdy as all hell to start off with and use a lot of science in my performances. It gives me access to talk nature, farming, water, atmosphere and more. I reach into different epochs and eras thinking about our behavioral evolution, mutualistic relationships with environments and the biomimicry that I see everyday. I am an emcee, auctioneer and wedding officiant and I know I am meant to be in public speaking in any capacity. I also improvise poetry and often use prompts from the crowd to create wonderful performances that could only happen there. Being a bilingual performer also helps a lot and I can create a more inviting environment for our large Spanish speaking populations here in Colorado. I know for sure one of my favorite and more notable things I do outside of improvisations is my random animal facts game where I challenge audiences to stump me with an animal that I cannot name one random fact about. So far the two that have stumped me are quokkas and nudibranchs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Easily dancing to goodness or love languages if its the right season. We could go to the Telluride falls or into Estes Park for nature time. We’d go eating to the Nile Ethiopian restaurant or Pho 999. There’s additionally any taco truck in Montbello and keep an eye out for La Unica which is my favorite. We could go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science or any of the paleo attractions in the mountains. We could try to catch any dance event put on by House Party Denver of Bboy factory. Slam Nuba at Redline or Sacred Voices is also ideal for poetry. I always keep an eye out for whatever Servicios de la Raza is doing or any event Grupo Tlaloc Azteca group is invited too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a lot to Minor Disturbance the youth poetry group that used to run in Denver. The mentors I had at the time Ken Arkind and Suzi Q Smith really created my performance and spoken word foundation. That group was the first time I was incorporated into community and I felt the knowledge of the stage embed itself into my psyche. I learned how to work a crowd, imbue a message, keep the show moving, trouble shoot and enjoy it all from them. I grew more in that role as I took over Minor Disturbance along with friends and we ran the operations for a few years. I also owe a lot to the former group Cafe Cultura, Mercury Cafe, Slam Nuba who were all stomping ground where I flexed and worked my performance muscle until I created a name for myself in the community.

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