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Daniela Zambrano
Award-winning choreographer and performer Daniela Zambrano is a Colombian-born artist based in Sydney, Australia. In 2025, she was awarded First Place at DUELS, presented by FORM Dance Projects, for her duet Form & Flow: Dueto—a recognition of her distinctive choreographic voice and emotionally driven movement language.
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Daniela’s work blends urban, afro, Latin, and contemporary dance styles, using rhythm and physical storytelling to explore themes of identity, migration, and connection. Her artistic journey began at age 21 in her hometown of Tunja, Colombia, when she joined the National Ballet of Colombia. There, she fused folkloric traditions with modern dance and quickly became a company performer.
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Driven by curiosity and a desire to expand her practice, Daniela studied a wide range of forms—from contemporary dance to improvisation and urban dance. In 2014, she earned a Bachelor of Choreography and Contemporary Dance from the Superior Academy of Arts in Bogotá.
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During this time, she founded Plonova Dance, her creative platform for developing original works that combine technique, improvisation, and theatricality. Her choreography often explores real-life characters, emotions, and social themes—prioritising connection with audiences through embodied expression.
After relocating to Sydney, Daniela’s work gained international momentum. Her choreographic projects have been presented at festivals including the Hong Kong International Choreography Festival (Borderlines) and ARA Darling Quarter Theatre (Shapes & Shadows). During the pandemic, she created short dance films that screened at festivals in Australia, Italy, and Colombia. Her 2022 film Displaced, made in collaboration with the UNHCR, used dance to raise awareness about refugee experiences.
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She has continued her artistic development through intensive training with globally renowned choreographers, in 2023, she was selected as one of 31 participants for Puzzle Work with Anton Lachky in Belgium, from a pool of over 180 applicants—further refining her skills in improvisation and composition.
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In 2024, Daniela premiered Pulse—a new work integrating live percussion—at the Adelaide Fringe Festival as part of Lewis Major’s Rich Mix showcase. In 2025, with the support of a creative grant, she returned to Fringe with a full season of Form & Flow, continuing her exploration of movement as a language for truth-telling and connection.
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Through Plonova Dance, Daniela remains dedicated to creating and sharing work that bridges cultures, stories, and bodies. Her art is grounded in rhythm, authenticity, and the belief that dance can reveal the depth of human experience in ways words alone cannot.
