40 Under Forty 2022: Masielle “Massy” Paulino

Photo | Erika Sidor Masielle "Massy" Paulino

Photo | Erika Sidor 40 Under Forty, Class of 2022 winners (from left) Natalie Rodriguez, Matthew Vaccaro, Natalia Oliver, and Masielle "Massy" Paulino at the Nuestra restaurant inside the Bull Mansion in Worcester (special thanks to Natalie Rodiguez)

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By Katherine Hamilton

Masielle “Massy” Paulino, 31

Title Executive director
Company Ritmos Dance Studio, in Worcester
Residence Worcester
Birthplace Brooklyn, N.Y.
Colleges Dean College, Worcester State University, Springfield College, Antioch University

Click here to read about the other 40 Under Forty, Class of 2022
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Paulino provides community leadership, preservation of Latino culture, and mental health care, all through one medium: dance.

A dancer for 17 years, she has trained in ballet, flamenco, Latin jazz, modern, and folkloric Latin dance, as well as psychology and social work. Her goal is to elevate the Latinx community through education and the arts. In 2011, Paulino took over as director of Ritmos Dance Studio, where she had been a long-time student and was teaching dance starting at age 16. She oversaw Ritmos’ relocation to its own location on Webster Street early on in her tenure. In 2020, she converted Ritmos into a nonprofit and is committed to offering affordable dance instruction and performance opportunities to the Latinx community in Worcester.

Paulino is passionate about dance as a mental health care tool and is a registered dance therapist. Her work has earned recognition from Latino Dollars for Scholars, Amplify Latinx, the City of Worcester, and the state. Beyond that, she is a deeply respected champion of Worcester’s Latinx community, which makes up roughly a quarter of the city’s population.

Would you prefer to live on the equator or in Antarctica? The equator, because I love the ocean. I would spend my days floating on the sea, dancing with the waves, and drinking margaritas.

What is the best location in Central Mass.? Downtown! It's close to my favorite spots; Nuestra, the Jean McDonough Arts Center, and city hall, where I have numerous performance memories.

Who is most responsible for the person you are today? My parents, as a first-generation daughter there’s nothing like witnessing immigrant parents maneuver obstacles on a daily basis to instill drive.