Catalina Zapata

Born and raised in Colombia, from 6 years old Catalina trained intensively in gymnastics and acrobatic cheerleading, competing not only for her school but also proudly representing her state. After focusing entirely on gymnastics and cheerleading during up till the age of 16, she then decided to shift her focus to dancing, finding inspiration in international styles such as Hip-Hop & Jazz Funk, rather than the Salsa and Latin rhythms that were so popular in her birthplace.

Catalina left her home country to perform on the big stage in Macau in 2006, becoming a full time dancer for the first time. After 1.5 years in Macau she moved to Hong Kong for the first time, rekindling her studies and earning a degree in Social Sciences & PR while still maintaining her moves as a regular student at the city’s best dancing studio Studiodanz. Not believing in limiting her training only to Asia, Catalina traveled to the dance mecca of Los Angeles to train under top choreographers at the most prestigious dance studios including Millenium Dance Complex, PlayGround LA, Movement Lifestyle, and Debbie Reynolds. The melting pot of the LA dance scene led Catalina to master an extensive range of styles: Jazz Funk, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, and of course Salsa. There was also an epiphany… It was time to dedicate herself to dance, not only as a side hobby and passion, but as her fulltime job and career!

Since 2015, Catalina has been a successful performer in the Hong Kong dance industry, working with numerous agencies and clients such as WDC, Majestic Productions, and high-profile private clients. Her success in Hong Kong, as well as her international experience, led to international bookings inviting her not only to perform but to choreograph as far afield as Thailand, Macau, London and Switzerland, supporting superstar artists such as Akon, Shahid Kapoor, Jazmin Walia, Zack knight, and UK ‘it girl’ Tiggi Hawke.