Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dani Savka-Gallegos of South Bay

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dani Savka-Gallegos. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Dani, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’ve been feeling the call of pulling people, projects, and ideas together because I have recently found I love making creative things happen. Every skill I’ve learned in work and life has been recently applied through my own personal will – and I have found an overall label for this calling of mine: Producing!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a wild mix of everything – I’m a former professional ballet dancer, currently an executive assistant for a non-profit in Los Angeles, I’m an actress, a classical ballet choreographer, a writer, and recently have been getting into cinematography and more so producing. I’m finding out, again, that ‘producing’ is the one label I can put on top of all of this because it really pulls together the skills I’ve acquire and the skills I’ve been learning — and best of all, I get to inject my creativity into all of it. That’s what makes it fulfilling.

Some people say to me, “how do you manage to do everything?” – and this is my answer: I grew up as a serious ballet dancer, I’ve gone through so many ups and downs in life (we can save that for another story on another day); numerous career-ending knee injuries from dance pushed me to be in the most uncomfortable phase of my life, which would be learning how to function as a ‘regular’ adult. I know it sounds silly, but I struggled with it for years. During that process, I realized I still wanted to be creative however I could, and I missed performing, so I got into acting. And then film. My stabilizer job as an executive assistant for the last 8 years have taught me all of my interpersonal business skills I know now: how to develop connections; how to plan and book a private dinner party for 35 executives; how to birth a miracle in some wild scenarios where it seemed no miracle could occur. I can confidently say I think I’ve nailed that.

In the last few months, I began writing a script on my own, and I had to “register” a name for a production company. I’m calling it Divinely Orchestrated Productions – and that moment was really exciting for me; I finally named something I’ve always wanted to start – a production company – and that now gives me the full freedom to pull in friends and colleagues whom I believe in to collaborate on projects. The logline of my recent ‘production company’ is: “Everyone has a story to tell.” Sounds simple – but it’s true; I love honing in on unique storylines and projects that we don’t see much of in the creative world or in film, dance, etc.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I didn’t believe I was very smart (in the conventional way.) This began when I was around kindergarten age and I was struggling with mathematics right off the bat. That struggle would continue all the way into highschool. I remember not being able to comprehend how all the other students around me could catch on to whatever we were learning and understand it — I totally didn’t! Looking back on it now, I don’t think I had the best critical thinking skills. My head was often in the clouds daydreaming about becoming a ballerina. I did develop a belief that I was “dumb,” and it blocked me

It’s funny how that changed, because my job requires me to be constantly dealing with money, larger numbers, and quick thinking when it comes to math problems. Now, I have no issue dealing with anything mathematic or a seemingly complicated formula. What drove me to break this barrier was to throw myself at the wolves — which is throwing yourself into what you fear most, over and over again, and learning the step-by-step process to go through it – even while I’m afraid. Having to repeat that over and over actually helped me learn to do it to the best of my ability. I think some people would call that “exposure therapy” — but I call it doing yourself a favor and learning to face your fears. Spoiler alert – you do come out stronger and more intelligent on the other side of it!

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell Little Dani: Little girl, you have such big dreams for yourself. Sometimes, things won’t go the way we want them to – and that’s okay. You are very unique, and you have so many other superpowers that are there inside you. Always be true to yourself, and don’t listen to any outside voices that make you feel ‘less than.’ If they’re making fun of you, they aren’t your friend. Maybe you will feel like you’re different for a long time, but this is what will make you a very creative leader down the road.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say so. I make a commitment to stay as authentic and true to myself as possible – especially working in multiple career fields and industries. I know public presentation can be a highlight for many, and that’s fine – but I want to make it clear that I have not had an easy or overnight success path. I’ve fought to be where I am now – and just know I am still aiming to get where I’d love to be.

Dealing with some difficult artistic directors and ballet teachers growing up sounds like it was borderline traumatic to some, but I think it helped me develop a strong mental resilience – and it showed me, honestly, how NOT to treat and speak to others. I take these experiences into account whenever I choreograph, or I’m connecting film professionals together for a production meeting, etc.

Morally, I also don’t believe in thinking I’m superior to others. I can’t stand huge egos, and I don’t find that necessary in any work field!

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I’d abandon any hesitations or second-guessing projects I want to start. I’d begin writing more films. I’d contact my friends to get together more to go out for dinner or a fun night. I’d take every weekend trip with my husband to wherever we could go. I would just dive into life and all experiences 100%. Oh, and I think I would write a book. That’s another project on the horizon!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @danisavkagallegos_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DISCO_SWAN

Image Credits
Headshot by Anthony Mongionelli.