Introducing Paula Calderon
Visionary and creative artist born in Colombia, South America. Her bachelor’s degree in industrial design and over 20 years of experience as a professional ballet dancer have given her the tools to become an entrepreneur in costume and stage design and production, with notable recognition in the performing arts industry in her hometown Medellin. Her sensitivity to illustration and dance at a young age shaped her career. Ballet became such a powerful passion that she managed to find a perfect synergy between design and dance, serving as artistic director and creative manager at one of the most recognized dance studios in her hometown.
A constant desire for growth and staying updated has led her to continuous studies and certifications in pedagogy for dance teaching, history of dance, and introduction to creative movement for children. Annual trips with her students or work team complement her learnings about the world of stage performances, backstage, musical theatre, set design, lighting, and the dancer’s role at national and international events. Intensive workshops at Steps on Broadway, the Broadway Dance Center, the Miami City Ballet, and the Millennium Dance Studio positioned her as a major dancer and active contributor to the development of art and cultural activities in her city, keeping her business in stage costume design busy for almost all seasons of the passing years.
Paula’s source of inspiration comes from everyday life, the diverse context of her colorful, happy, and emotional Latin culture, and the visual textures of the landscape. Her creative references are built by Disney shows, Hollywood movies, European Ballets, and the magic of Broadway musicals, among others.
After getting married and becoming a mother, her creative potential expanded to North America, where her broad artistic profile and evolution focus on bringing multicultural and social value to the community of performers, directors, and the new generation of artists in Lafayette, her new home.
Who makes up your art circle?
I have experienced art since I can remember because my mother was a very sensitive architect with a particular interest for creation, paint, composition and all artistic expressions and my dad used to act and be a photographer in college. I was always surrounded by music and as an early dancer I created a community around me of similarly minded people, who would share my interests and activities. When I became a college student in design and kept dancing, I would always search people with whom I could have profound conversations, experiences, and learnings around performing arts, illustration and creative projects in visual arts that happen to add value and shaped my own journey as a dancer and art director.
How do you expand your art circle?
Social media became the best option for me since I moved from my hometown, and it gave me an option to put my broad profile out there and meet the right people. I have made great friends by just starting to follow them on Instagram or contact their websites including collaborations and synergy support with interdisciplinary projects. Talking to people, getting to know them by asking what they do, or just sharing their work, has open infinite doors for my passions. A constant seeks of connection for growth, joy, inspiration and serve others is my motivation to spread the magic. That’s how I got to basin arts, and it became one of my favorite places in the city.
What value do you see in having a creative community?
It gives you uncountable opportunities to develop your art and be part of something greater than what you could accomplish by yourself. Synergy possibilities with other artists, sense of belonging, healthy competition, and consideration of expanding your approach with new ideas. It is a bridge to share knowledge, feed yourself with other perspectives and empower the purpose of your style and to art itself. It also inspires and maintain the good vibe of the art flame in people of all contexts of society. Art invites to congregation, healthy coexistence, and collective enjoyment. You can feel it in the atmosphere at places like Basin Arts. What can be better than that?
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?
As a performer it has been a true delight to entertain people and be part of fun and fulfilling events or shows that leave a positive impact in the audience. As a teacher has been a commitment to inspire, especially children and teenagers, to believe in art as an effective way of recreation, wellness, and even prosperous option for their choices. And as illustrator and designer it just adds more beauty, taste, and spice to the flavors of everyone’s life!
Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund managed by Lafayette Travel
