Founded in 1998 by the award-winning dancer/choreographer Arthur Aviles and the award-winning writer and activist Charles Rice-Gonzalez, The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance creates, produces, presents, and supports the development of works in contemporary dance and all creative disciplines that are empowering to women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community. BAAD! hosts five annual multi-disciplinary arts festivals and is home to the award-winning Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre contemporary dance company and offers the AATT Academy, an innovative athletic dance program for 6-9-year-old children. The space also hosts several other productions including the annual gay Latino holiday play, Los Nutcrackers: A Christmas Carajo.