Viva Tejana Dance Company Celebrates 5 Years of Preserving Culture Through Movement

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Viva Tejana Dance Company (VTDC) is celebrating its 5th anniversary, marking five powerful years of honoring Tejano/a heritage through dance, music, and community connection. Founded in 2020 by Sophia Salgado, VTDC was created with a clear mission: to promote Tejano/a heritage by performing to varied forms of Tejano music—guided by the core values of Kindness, Passion, and Community.

For Salgado, the creation of Viva Tejana was deeply personal. After dancing as an adult with Samba, Bachata, and Salsa teams in San Antonio, she realized something was missing.

“I wanted to dance and perform to the music that was a part of my identity,” Salgado shared. “Tejano music dance teams didn’t exist—so I started my own.”

That decision filled a major gap in San Antonio’s vibrant dance scene. Today, Viva Tejana Dance Company includes 40 women of all ages and backgrounds, with a current waitlist of nearly 50 women eager to join. The dancers represent a wide spectrum of life experiences—working professionals, retirees, homemakers, and business owners—many stepping into dance for the first time alongside seasoned performers.

Inclusion, Education, and Identity at the Core

Inclusion is at the heart of VTDC. Dancers not only learn choreography, but also engage in meaningful education about Tejano history, Tejano music artists, musical rhythms, and what it means to identify as a Tejana. This intentional blend of movement and learning has helped the group become more than a dance company—it’s a cultural space where identity is celebrated and shared.

Five Years of Full-Circle Moments and Firsts

VTDC’s very first performance took place five years ago at Jaime’s Place, a cornerstone of San Antonio’s historic Westside. In a full-circle moment, the company returned to that same stage in October 2025 as part of Little Joe’s Birthday Bash, honoring both their roots and their growth.

The year 2025 alone brought an impressive list of firsts for the company, including performances at:

• The Tejano Conjunto Festival
• Viva Mexico Women’s Festival
• In front of San Fernando Cathedral
• Little Carver Theater
• The grand opening of the Totally Tejano Music Hall of Fame

VTDC also closed out the year with a festive holiday performance on Domingo Live.

Beyond major stages, the company continues to perform throughout the community at fiestas, weddings, anniversaries, social events, festivals, parades, theaters, VFW halls, and retirement facilities, bringing joy wherever Tejano music is celebrated.

Performances That Leave a Lasting Impact

Among Salgado’s most meaningful moments are performances that blend culture, legacy, and heart, including:

• Honoring Johnny Canales at the 2024 Día de los Muertos MuertosFest Procession
• Performing at Jaime’s Place with Little Joe y La Familia
• Vegas Tejano Takeover (2023)
• Tejano Music Awards Red Carpet (2023)
• And especially performances at elementary schools and rehabilitation centers, where dance becomes a source of inspiration and healing

Tejana Representation Beyond the Stage

Salgado’s work with Viva Tejana Dance Company has also reached the academic world. In 2025, she contributed an essay titled “Dynamics of Movement: Tejana Representation and Inclusion in the Dance Community” to the University of Texas Press anthology Somos Tejanas – Chicana Identity and Culture in Texas. The collection explores the diversity of Tejana identity through personal and scholarly voices, with Salgado’s piece focusing on VTDC’s journey and impact.
More information about the book is available through the University of Texas Press.

Looking Ahead

As Viva Tejana Dance Company celebrates five years, the future remains focused on growth, joy, and cultural pride.

“We hope to keep up our dance momentum and spread happiness and joy through dance,” Salgado said.

Fans and supporters can follow Viva Tejana Dance Company on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok by searching #ilovetejanas, and continue to witness how Tejano culture lives on—one powerful step at a time.

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