Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Vargas Calvo.
Hi Daniela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Daniela Vargas Calvo, a Latina artist — a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator based in Austin, originally from Costa Rica. Moving to a new country meant starting from zero: rebuilding a career, a community, a sense of belonging, in a new language and a new context. The first place I found community here was Lannaya Drum and Dance, and not long after, Ballet Afrique and Corazon Latino opened doors for me too. Those experiences shaped my mission as an artist — using dance as a tool for social change, and creating access for communities who don’t usually get it. As someone navigating life as part of a vulnerable community myself, much of my work is about building spaces where we can feel safe and reclaim joy.
That mission runs through everything I do. I co-founded Las De Allá Contemporary Dance Collective, where I co-direct alongside Taylor Dominique. I direct the Las Malas Latin Sensual Femme Team, where, as a queer Latina, I wanted to create a safe space to explore sensuality and movement through dance — teaching lead and follow not as gendered roles, but as roles anyone can move through. I teach Latin dance at The Movement Lab and host a monthly Latin dance night at RichesArt Gallery.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been easy. Not being from here means you’re starting from zero in almost every sense — no built-in network, no safety net, having to prove yourself in a language and a system that weren’t built with you in mind. Economic barriers were real and constant; building an art career while also having to survive financially is its own kind of labor, one that doesn’t stop just because you’re also trying to create.
As a Latina woman, access to basic rights and resources hasn’t always been a given — it’s something you have to fight for, navigate, and sometimes go without. I’ve also faced xenophobia and fetishization, both of which come with their own weight: being othered and being exoticized are different experiences, but they both ask you to shrink or perform instead of just being.
A lot of my journey has been about surviving while working and creating art at the same time. That tension between survival and creation is something a lot of immigrant artists carry quietly, and it’s part of why building community and safe spaces matters so much to me now. I don’t want anyone else to have to carry that as alone
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work as a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator, with a specialty in Latin dance and community-centered contemporary work. My choreography draws on a mix of influences — clown technique, physical theater, West African dance traditions, and poetry — which gives my pieces a layered, embodied quality rather than just technical execution. I’m known for creating work that addresses real social issues and for building spaces, like Las Malas Latin Sensual Femme Team and BailArte Latin Night at RichesArt Gallery, where people can explore movement and sensuality safely and without judgment.
As co-founder and Artistic/Creative Director of Las De Allá Contemporary Dance Collective, alongside co-director Taylor Dominique, I’ve produced full dance seasons and choreographed original works — Alien Number is the piece I’m proudest of, a production that’s carried through festival residencies and reached audiences beyond Austin
What sets me apart is that I don’t separate the art from the mission. My background in sociology means my choreography is never just movement for movement’s sake — it’s built to speak to community, access, and belonging. I teach lead and follow in Latin dance without assigning them by gender, I’ve built spaces specifically for queer and Latina communities to feel safe, and I bring the same intention to teaching kids and youth as I do to directing a professional company. Being a Latina immigrant artist who started from zero here in Austin — and who’s built community, not just a career — is at the center of everything I make.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
None of this has been a solo journey. Taylor Dominique, my co-director at Las De Allá, has been a steady creative and organizational partner — building seasons, directing, and holding the vision of the company alongside me. Thomas Hopes, who I co-teach Latin dance with at The Movement Lab, has been a real teaching partner in growing that program.
Sofia Sanchez, our Production Manager, has been essential to making every show and season actually run — and beyond the work itself, she’s been a genuine friend and supporter of this project from early on.
The dancers of Las De Allá — Diana Ventura, Gabriela Manzano, Kittie Miranda, Victoria Jara, Lilly Wyld, Su-Hwei Dewit, and Vanessa Alvarado — deserve enormous credit. They’re the ones who show up to rehearsals, embody the choreography, and bring the vision to life on stage; none of the seasons or productions happen without them. And the full Las Malas Latin Sensual Femme Team has played just as big a role — every dancer who’s trained, performed, and helped build that space has been part of making it the safe, joyful community it’s become. Beyond the core teams, this work has been shaped by the wider community — the artists who’ve collaborated on shows and productions, and the volunteers who’ve shown up again and again to make events happen behind the scenes. That kind of support doesn’t always get named, but it’s carried a huge amount of this work.
And of course my mom, a strong creative Latina woman so resourceful and beautiful
Contact Info:
- Website: https://latinmovementcollective.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ela_ladancer?utm_source=qr
