The couple got married in Puerto Rico in June 2024.
SAN ANTONIO — Love doesn’t always arrive with flowers and chocolate. Sometimes, it shows up in ballet slippers.
For Vianca Palacios and Zachary Bennett, love took center stage long before they joined Ballet San Antonio.
The two talented dancers are preparing to finish their seventh season with the Alamo City’s only professional ballet company, but their story began years earlier.
Vianca, a native of Puerto Rico, moved to Florida in 2017 after Hurricane Maria passed through the island. The couple met at ballet school, immediately drawn to each other.
“We were kind of already getting to know each other and then they put us in a duet together that was created for us. And then it just kept going and we got together,” Zachary said.
“Our teacher knew what she was doing,” Vianca said while laughing.
“She was smart,” Zach added with a smile.
The duo later landed jobs with Ballet San Antonio in 2019.
“We feel very lucky and privileged to be able to have this job together,” Vianca said.
Before the couple married in 2024 back in Puerto Rico, there were years of growth that strengthened their relationship – not just personally, but professionally.
“It took a little bit of work for that because we have to work on our communication because obviously just like any job things don’t always go well at work and especially if you’re working together, sometimes you just need to talk through things, so you don’t take it back home and it just stays at work. That was something that we worked on very early into us actually working together here and it helped every other aspect of the relationship honestly,” Zachary said.
“Everyone has their own routine and their own system that works for them. We also teach after we’re done with the company. I teach here and Zach sometimes teaches elsewhere, so we’ll have those few hours apart and then we’ll meet back home. I still miss him every time. I think it’s that one year while we were dating long distance that gave me PTSD, so I’m like no don’t be away from me,” Vianca added through laughter.
After seven seasons, the duo has danced together many times, but two productions stand out: “The Nutcracker” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Vianca said she personally has a soft spot for the Arabian Dance in “The Nutcracker,” along with the scenes between the Snow King and Queen when she performs alongside Zachary.
“I have a lot of fun with him, especially because it’s two roles where you really have to have pristine communication and we have to work to get to that point. So, I feel really proud of the relationship that we built in the studio professionally,” Vianca said.
And despite living and working together, the couple remains steadfast.
“I love Zach’s personality in a sense of how calm he is. He’s a very calm, kind, noble human being,” Vianca said when asked what sparked her interest in Zachary.
“Vianca is very authentically herself and does not bend or change for the situation or the room she’s in. And I always admired that because I struggled with that myself, and it was something that caught my eye in the first place,” Zachary replied.
After seven seasons, countless rehearsals and more than a few pas de deux, the couple says they feel grateful to share both the stage and their life together.
You can catch the couple in BSA’s production of “Cinderella” Feb. 20-22 at the H-E-B Performance Hall at the Tobin Center. Vianca will take on the roles of the iconic stepmother and Clorinda, one of the stepsisters. Zachary will play multiple characters and be featured in most scenes. Tickets are on sale now.