Mya D. Specialist

Mya Dixon Ajanku is an educator deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy. Her pedagogical and andragogical approach is rooted in the indigenous Akan principle of Sankofa (“Go back and fetch it”), fostering equity, engagement, and accountability for students, faculty, and staff. Sankofa serves as a culturally responsive form of constructivism, ensuring that every learning experience is tailored to diverse styles and needs.

An innovative, award-winning educator, Mya has over two decades of classroom experience spanning Pre-K through higher education, including special education. For more than 30 years, dance and education have been her mediums for knowledge-sharing and healing. Inspired and mentored by her instructors at Sankofa Dance Theater, she began assisting and teaching classes at age 13. Committed to the belief that knowledge is most powerful when shared, she has taught throughout the United States. As a performer, she has shared the stage with artists such as Roberta Flack, Fertile Ground, M.I.A., and Spank Rock. Her movement research includes time with Sankofa Dance Theater, NaZu & Co., the National Ballets of Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, and numerous instructors specializing in movement from the African diaspora.

Mya holds a B.A. in Dance with a K-12 teaching certification from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an M.F.A. in Dance from Hollins University in collaboration with the American Dance Festival (ADF) and the Forsythe Company. During her tenure with Sankofa Dance Theater, she served as dance captain for the adult company and Director of the Sankofa Dance Theater Youth Ensemble. However, she considers teaching her true superpower.

Her work in autism research and development at the Kennedy Krieger Institute provided her with extensive knowledge of alternative teaching practices, supporting her successful career with institutions such as Maarifa Shule, ConneXions Leadership Academy, Baltimore County Public Schools, The Bryn Mawr School for Girls, Ball State University, and Coppin State University. She enjoys blending her expertise in dance and education, contributing as a curriculum writer for Baltimore County Public Schools, the Open Society Fellow Meshelle Shields’ Goal Diggers: The Sankofa Project and creating two courses that enriched the College Fine Arts core curriculum for Ball State University.

Mya’s current research interests include exploring movement and writing as therapeutic modalities for challenging embodied familial narratives, as well as developing resources and support systems for African diasporic movement practitioners navigating academia and the tenure process.