Diana Toledo
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Diana Toledo (known affectionately as Toledo) began her journey with dance informally. Being a Brazilian-American movement artist, Toledo’s first love of dance began with Samba, taught by aunts and uncles in various social settings. Learning hip hop on the streets of Compton, where her family owned two local businesses, she eventually joined a youth hip hop company named eFunk where she danced and performed for two years. In high school, Toledo discovered the world of Salsa and fell in love with the music and culture of Afro-Cuban dance. In college, Toledo was pursuing a degree in Forensic Psychology, when an elective Modern dance class made her realize that dance was her true passion. Stepping out on faith, she decided to become a dance major and pursue dance full time. Toledo auditioned for CONTRA-TIEMPO in 2011 and became an apprentice for the company for the next 18 months, training rigorously in all dance forms and participating in CONTRA-TIEMPO Futuro’s Summer Dance Intensive for two consecutive years. In 2012 she was invited to join the professional company. Through her journey with CONTRA-TIEMPO Toledo has toured nationally and internationally with the evening length works Full. Still. Hungry, I Dream America, Against the Times, Agua Furiosa, and was part of the creation of joyUS justUS. Through her love and appreciation of the social justice element of the work, Toledo became the Community Engagement Specialist for the company and helped to facilitate workshops and community events to continue to spread the incredible message of love and resistance through dance. Although maintaining a full schedule of independent gigs throughout Los Angeles, Toledo graduated with a Bachelors of Fine arts in Dance at UCLA, honing her skill in the hopes to elevate her career as a Choreographer and Professor in Dance.