Astrid Zuluaga Lopez, MS, RDN, LD was born and raised in Venezuela. She began her training at the age of 6 at the Fundación Escuela de Ballet Clásico del Edo. Lara. She also attended Allegro Estudio de Ballet and was a member of the 2012 graduating class. That same year, she began her professional dance career at Ballet Nacional de Panamá (BNP) where she had the opportunity to dance “The Nutcracker”, and “Coppelia” as well as excerpts of ballets from the classical repertoire. At this same time, Astrid began teaching ballet at Estudio de Danzas Terpsicore where she found a new love and sense of responsibility for shaping the next generation of dancers. Astrid participated in dance competitions such as The International Ballet Competition in Caracas, Venezuela, and in The Stars of the 21 st Century International Ballet Competition in Panamá, where she was one of ten finalists in her category. After approximately a year and a half of dancing with BNP, Astrid had the opportunity to dance pre-professionally with Miami City Ballet School. While there, she was able to train under the guidance of Geta Constantinescu and further expand her knowledge of the different ballet techniques for another year and a half. In 2015, she continued her professional career at Arts Ballet Theater of Florida where she danced to pieces created and staged by Artistic Director Vladimir Issaev such as “The Seasons”, “Chipolino”, “Stone Flower”, and “Taiko-Women” as well as Classical pieces including “The Nutcracker” and “Paquita”. During this period, Astrid began her preliminary studies in Nutrition and Dietetics, which she would later go on to pursue full-time. In doing so, she quickly realized and refined her new future aspirations, to again make an impact in the world of dance, but this time from a healthcare standpoint. Astrid continued to teach in different dance academies across South Florida such as “On Your Toes Dance Academy”, “Joy Deco Enterprises”, and “West Side Dance Studio”, where she was able to choreograph for the studio company’s special events. In 2018, Astrid moved to Houston, Texas to continue her studies in Nutrition. She obtained her master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Nutrition and completed all examinations required to become both a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, which she achieved in 2022. Early in this 6- year academic period, she became the senior ballet teacher of Ellie Paige Dance Company and remained so for five years. In addition to this, she also became a Pilates instructor at Ballet and Pilates by Victoria, where she has been teaching group classes for adults and private classes for pre-professional ballet dancers for the past 4 years. Astrid has been practicing as a Clinical Registered Dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital in the area of eating disorders and general pediatrics and is excited to guide and shape the ballet technique of new aspiring dancers with the team of The Fenyx Project.