Born 1990 in San Diego, California
Lives in San Diego California

Zaquia Mahler Salinas is a performer, dance-maker, and teacher from San Diego, CA. She holds a BA in Dance with Honors from the University of California Santa Barbara and an MFA in Dance: Creative Practice from Saint Mary’s College of California. Salinas has been a company member and taught with Jean Isaacs’ San Diego Dance Theater from 2012-2018. As a choreographer, she has received awards and recognitions for dance works and presented at events such as Kinesis Santa Barbara and the World Cultures Program at San Diego City College. In addition to University of California San Diego’s ArtPower!, SDDT’s Young Choreographer’s Showcase and Prize, San Diego International Fringe Festival, and San Diego Dance Theater’s Trolley Dances. Her works include various evening-length pieces, several shorter works, and dance films. She is currently teaching as part of the dance faculty at San Diego City College. In 2019, Salinas founded the art nonprofit DISCO RIOT in San Diego, California, and is collaborating with the organization on her Park Social project.

DISCO RIOT is an organization all about building a movement through movement to make art culture in San Diego more relevant, more impactful, and more collaborative. Their mission is to connect artists across disciplines, support innovative dance programs, and provide an educational space for movement-artists and collaborators to amplify their art in the modern world.