Maria was always drawn to music and dance from a very young age.  When she wasn’t sitting on her father’s lap listening to and dissecting music from artists such as Willie Colon and Ruben Blades, she was on her kitchen counter dancing to the rhythmic sounds of salsa and merengue that were always heard in her home.  At the age of seven she began taking piano and singing lessons, which helped enhance her passion for music as a whole.  You could always find her at holiday parties dancing with her father in the living room or leading everyone in Christmas songs at the piano.

Shortly after graduating from high school, she perused her musical endeavors by taking professional dance lessons from a local instructor.  He quickly realized her dedication and took her under his wing making her one of his new members in his Dance Company.  For the next three and a half years, Semeneya Dance Company would become her means of musical expression.  After taking some time off in order to help care for her father who had fallen ill, she ventured off to become an independent instructor, performer, and choreographer.

In late 2003 Maria co-founded the first kids dance company in San Antonio, which specialized not only in Salsa, but also in Ballet Folklorico de Puerto Rico.  Eight months into working with Patria Kids Dance Company, a few of the kids decided to take their salsa dancing to a more elaborate level.  Maria then established a separate company, Xaxabis Dance Company, where they could focus solely on Salsa and Cha-Cha. Xaxabis Dance Company has become a very important part of her life.  The relationships she has developed with the kids are one of more than just an instructor but also that of a friend as the kids practice out of her home studio.