Meet the Team
Meet the passionate team behind Tierra Blanca Arts Center! Each of us brings creativity, dedication, and a love for culture and community. Together, we strive to inspire, connect, and celebrate the rich traditions that make our city vibrant. Get to know the people who make the magic happen.
Blanca Araceli Soto
CEO / President & Founder
Blanca Araceli Soto is an award-winning actress, choreographer, director, producer, dancer, and cultural leader with more than three decades of experience in the performing arts.
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, she studied theater and dance at the University of Guadalajara and performed with renowned companies including Ballet Folklórico del Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, Floricanto U.S.A., and Los Angeles Mexican Dance Company.
Since 1996, Blanca has served as Director and Choreographer of Tierra Blanca Dance Company, creating original work inspired by Mexican history, traditions, and the Latino experience in the United States. In 2002, she founded Tierra Blanca Arts Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage, expanding access to the arts, and strengthening communities through theater, dance, education, and healing-centered programs.
Through TBAC, she has created and produced programs such as Cultural Summer Camp, Antorcha Cultural, Semblanza, Foro de Arte y Cultura, Crónicas de México, and Danza Escénica. Her work has provided children, youth, artists, and families with safe spaces to develop confidence, creativity, cultural pride, and a stronger sense of belonging.
As an actress, Blanca has worked extensively in film, television, voice-over, and theater. Her credits include Disney/Pixar’s Academy Award-winning film Coco, Netflix’s Monsters, Matlock, Doctor Odyssey, The Conners, S.W.A.T., Station 19, Shameless, and American Horror Story. She has also appeared in more than 80 theatrical productions and received the Favorite Actress Award at the Fred Awards for her performance as Carmen in Real Women Have Curves.
Blanca continues to use the arts as a powerful vehicle for cultural preservation, personal healing, and community transformation.
Her guiding principle is:
“Cultural awareness builds stronger communities.”
Astrid Salas
Treasure
Venezuelan actress based in Los Angeles and a proud SAG-AFTRA member. With more than two decades of experience in theater, she began her career on some of Venezuela’s most respected stages before expanding her work internationally.
Astrid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and is the founder of Los Plebes Theater Troupe, a Los Angeles–based company she launched in 2024 to produce meaningful, socially relevant, and culturally diverse theater.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Astrid has appeared in feature films, television, commercials, music videos, and voice-over productions. She is passionate about bringing authentic, compelling stories to life through her work on stage and screen.
Liane Schirmer
Secretary
Liane Schirmer is a director, actor and VO talent of Costa Rican descent with a long career in L.A. Latinx theatre: Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA), Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA, Casa 0101, and Tierra Blanca Arts Center (Todas Somos Luz, La Mujer que Cayó del Cielo). Directing credits include La Vida es Sueño, BFA’s entry for the national festival Encuentro 2024, hosted by the Latino Theater Company. Opera directing credits include Hector Armienta's Camino de Fe for Portland Opera’s “Opera To Go” and Amahl and the Night Visitors in Los Angeles.
In addition to theatre, Liane owns In Other Words, a company focusing on foreign language media translation. An avid L.A. historian and archivist, Liane is project director for the Voces del Teatro Oral History Archive, the first attempt to chronicle the history of Latinx theatre in modern Los Angeles (1960s to Present).
Gerardo and Blanca believe: "Cultural awareness, makes better communities."
Gerardo Gutierrez
Board Member
A scholar and researcher of the history of Mexico and Latin America for more than 20 years. A producer and director of theater and dance. Born in Mexico City, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Gutiérrez began his career in film. His work as a theater director has given him great satisfaction and recognition such as the “People's Choice Award” at the BFA International Theater Festival. In 2002, his mission to promote culture and art led him to start the non-profit organization: Tierra Blanca Arts Center.
Gerardo and Blanca believe: "Cultural awareness, makes better communities."