Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandra Hernandez.
Hi Alejandra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in Houston, music and dance were always a part of my life. Family gatherings were filled with cumbia, merengue, and salsa, and I began my formal dance training in high school. However, it was not until I moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas in 2010 that I truly fell in love with salsa dancing.
I joined Texas Latin Dance at UT, where I not only developed as a dancer but also found a community that made a new city feel like home. Through dance, I built lifelong friendships, gained confidence, and discovered a passion that would shape the next chapter of my life. Over the years, I trained in various genres of Latin dance, including Salsa On1 and On2, Afro-Cuban dance, Bachata, Cha Cha Chá and many more. I also had opportunities to teach, perform, and direct dance teams through organizations such as Timba Tumbao Dance Company and the Karel Flores World Team Project, and I later founded my own performance team, Dos y Seis Dance Company.
At the same time, I continued building a professional career outside of dance and currently work full-time in real estate operations. I have always found a way to balance both parts of my life because of how much I love dance. It has never felt like something I was willing to give up. Even during the busiest seasons of my career, dance remained an important creative outlet, a source of community, and a major part of who I am.
From 2015 to 2023, I co-produced The Salsamania Austin Social, where I gained valuable experience organizing events and creating spaces that brought dancers together. In 2022, my partner, Roberto Lopez—better known in the dance community as DJ Icon—and I decided to build something of our own.
We co-founded Échale Salsita Austin out of our shared love and passion for salsa music and our desire to share that music and culture with the world. We wanted to create an experience that felt authentic, welcoming, and centered around the music that had brought so much joy and connection into our own lives. As Bachata continued to rise in popularity throughout the United States, our events naturally evolved to include Bachata as well, allowing us to welcome an even broader community of dancers while remaining grounded in our original love for Salsa.
What started as a single social has grown into a thriving community and an expanding international brand. Today, Échale Salsita hosts dance socials, workshops, pop-up events, and performances that welcome everyone, from complete beginners to experienced dancers. Our goal is to create an environment where people feel comfortable asking someone to dance, making new friends, and experiencing the richness of Latin music and culture in an inclusive and respectful space.
One of the things I am most proud of is seeing the concept grow beyond Austin. Échale Salsita has developed into a network of events across North America, with recurring communities in Austin, Dallas, Mexico City, and Montreal. We have also brought the Échale Salsita experience to Spain and Australia through special one-time events. Watching people in different cities and countries connect through the same music, energy, and sense of community has been incredibly rewarding.
Looking back, I never imagined that joining a college dance organization would eventually lead to building an international dance community. Dance has given me lifelong friendships, opportunities to travel, teach, perform, and lead, and now the privilege of creating spaces where others can experience that same sense of joy and belonging. That is what continues to inspire me and Roberto every time we host an Échale Salsita event.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. Building an event from the ground up is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also much harder than most people realize.
One of our biggest challenges in the beginning was simply getting people through the door. We knew Austin had a vibrant dance community, but we also wanted to reach people outside of the established scene—people who loved salsa and bachata music but had never attended a social dance event before. Building that audience took time, consistency, and a lot of trial and error.
Another major hurdle was finding a stable venue. We launched Échale Salsita in 2022, when commercial rents in Austin were rising rapidly. As venue rental costs increased, we found ourselves moving locations several times while trying to keep the event affordable and accessible. At the same time, Roberto and I felt strongly that everyone involved—from DJs and instructors to photographers and event staff—deserved to be paid fairly for their work. We never wanted to build the event on unpaid labor or ask people to volunteer indefinitely.
Because of that commitment, there was about a year where Roberto and I personally invested our own money to keep Échale Salsita going while we built our community. There were definitely moments when we questioned whether it was sustainable, but we believed in what we were creating and stayed committed to our vision.
Looking back, those early struggles taught us resilience and patience. They also reinforced that building a genuine community takes time. Today, the feedback we hear from our attendees reminds us why we kept going. People tell us how much they love the music, the welcoming atmosphere, and our unique two-room format, which lets them choose how much Salsa or Bachata they want to dance throughout the night. They appreciate the quality of our classes and performances, and many comment on how friendly and inclusive the community feels. Hearing that people leave our events feeling inspired, connected, and excited to come back makes every challenge we faced along the way worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Outside of dance, I serve as the Director of Operations for Coco & Team Real Estate, a women-led, bilingual real estate team based in Austin. While we help clients with every aspect of real estate—from buying, selling, investing, and leasing—what initially drew me to the company was the people we serve.
Our team has always been passionate about helping the Spanish-speaking community navigate what can often feel like an overwhelming process. Many of our clients are first-time homebuyers, first-generation homeowners, or families purchasing their very first home in the United States. Being able to guide them through that journey in their native language gives them confidence and peace of mind during one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
As Director of Operations, I oversee the systems, processes, and day-to-day operations that allow our agents to provide an exceptional client experience. I enjoy building efficient systems, solving problems, and creating an environment where both our agents and clients can succeed.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through my work is that success isn’t just about getting to the finish line—it’s about how you get there. Every decision we make is guided by one question: *What is truly in our client’s best interest?* Whether we’re educating a first-time homebuyer, negotiating a contract, or helping a family decide whether now is the right time to buy or sell, our focus is never on hitting a sales goal—it’s on helping our clients make informed decisions that will benefit them and their families for years to come. To me, success isn’t measured by the number of transactions we close; it’s measured by the trust we earn and the lasting relationships we build along the way.
That same philosophy guides Échale Salsita. Every decision Roberto and I make starts with one simple question: *Does this truly benefit the community?* We work hard to keep our events accessible, invite artists who will inspire and educate dancers, and create experiences that give more value than they take. We want people to leave feeling like they’ve grown as dancers, built meaningful friendships, and experienced the richness of Latin music and culture—not that they simply attended another event.
What I’m most proud of isn’t a production number or an award. It’s knowing that the work I do—whether helping a family purchase their first home or creating spaces where people connect through dance—is rooted in service. In both roles, I have the opportunity to make decisions that put people before profits and long-term impact before short-term results. I believe that’s how you earn trust, strengthen communities, and ultimately create something that lasts.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t know that I’d call it luck as much as I’d call it being incredibly fortunate to have the right people in my life.
The biggest blessing has been my partnership with Roberto. We often joke that we’re like brother and sister because we’ve worked together for so long and know each other so well. We share the same values, the same vision, and the same passion for the music and the community we’re building. At the same time, we each bring a different perspective. Roberto naturally views things through the lens of a DJ, entrepreneur, and small business owner, while I approach them as a dancer and instructor. He often brings the business, production, and music perspective, while I’m thinking about the dancer’s experience, the educational aspect, and how each decision will impact our community. Those different perspectives complement each other and have helped shape Échale Salsita into what it is today. I truly believe it’s stronger because neither of us is building it alone.
I also feel incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing team here in Austin. Many of the people who help produce Échale Salsita are friendships that have grown over the 16 years I’ve been part of the local dance community. Some of us have known each other for more than a decade, while others have joined more recently, but we’ve become a family. We genuinely enjoy working together, supporting one another, and creating something bigger than ourselves. We even have several spouses who are part of the team, which makes every event feel even more like a family effort.
Today, it takes a team of about 12 people to bring Échale Salsita to life each month. Our resident DJs carefully curate the music that keeps the dance floor moving all night long. We also partner with some of Austin’s best Latin dance instructors to teach our pre-social classes, giving attendees the opportunity to learn while showcasing the incredible talent our local community has to offer. Our door managers and setup crew create a welcoming environment from the moment guests arrive, making sure every detail is ready before the first song plays. Our media team captures the energy of the night through photos and video, then transforms those moments into content that allows us to share our community with people far beyond the dance floor. Every person on the team plays an important role, and there’s simply no way Roberto and I could do it without them.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that success is rarely an individual accomplishment. If I’ve been lucky in any way, it’s because I’ve been surrounded by people who share the same passion, care deeply about our community, and continue to believe in our vision year after year.
Pricing:
- Social entry $15-17
- Social + Class entry $20-25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.echalesalsitaaustinsocial.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echalesalsita.austin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EchaleSalsitaAustin
Image Credits
ZB Imagery
