Manny Chacon
Manny Chacon
Zawadi Chapter | Fall 2010 | University of Delaware
Brother Emanuel “Manny” Chacon is from Wilmington, DE where he pledged the Zawadi Chapter as a solo in the Fall of 2010. He attended the University of Delaware where he received his degree in Marketing and Interactive Media. Since becoming a brother he has held many leadership positions at the undergraduate, regional, and national level, constantly advocating for the community. He used performance as a tool to travel and connect with others. His love of movement started at a young age with the Afro-Brazilian Martial Art of Capoeira but was further cultivated when pledging LSU and being mentored by Brother J-Romeo. As an undergrad his love for the stage grew competing with his chapter, regional, and national teams remaining undefeated. J-Romeo taught Manny how a career in the arts can be possible and he pursued that passion.
Over the years Manny has become well accomplished in his craft within the industry. Some of his accolades and credits include artists such as Farruko, Don Miguelo, Kid N Play, Saleka Night Shyamalan and more; performing at the White House for the Inaugural Juneteenth Concert, television appearances on Telemundo, Univision, and CBS, feature in the IABD 2023 Edition (International Associations of Blacks in Dance), and more. Notably, he auditioned for “Step Afrika!” in 2016, a top 10 African-American owned dance company in the US, becoming the first Latino casted as a full time dancer in company history. With Step Afrika, he toured and performed across 45 states and nearly 15 countries representing our brotherhood.
Recently, Manny was appointed as the Artistic Director for the Inaugural Cityfest Dance Jubilee in his hometown. The first multi day dance festival in the state of Delaware through support of the Mayor, City of Wilmington, Delaware Division of the Arts, and more! He was given the trust and opportunity to outline and plan the entire festival, utilizing his network to bring his hometown an experience of workshops and performances to highlight the importance of Dance in a community that needs it. Today, his talents have taken him to Villanova University where he works as the Assistant Director of Dance, supporting the university’s 9 dance groups. He remains active in LSU as a Lifetime Member, creating content, and Regional Director of Region 2. He credits much of his success to the platform provided by LSU and brother support over the years.