OUR BLISSTORY

Bliss Urban Arts Center began long before there was a building, a staff, or even a dance company. It began with a vision.

Founder, Owner and Artistic Director Fatena “Fae” Salfiti grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area as a self-taught, ambitious young dancer with a deep love for the arts. Growing up in a first-generation Palestinian-American family, pursuing dance was not necessarily the path expected of her. At 16, Fae began working and used her own money to put herself into dance classes, determined to build the artistic life she envisioned for herself.

After earning an Associate Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in African American Heritage Dance Forms from City College of San Francisco, Fae relocated to Vacaville in 2002. She arrived knowing virtually no one in the area and began building her name from the ground up—teaching hip hop classes throughout Solano County, networking within the community, and creating opportunities wherever she could.

That same year, she established the Bliss Recreational Dance Program. As the program grew and Fae recognized the talent developing within the community, she took the next step and founded Bliss Dance Company in 2004. 

But Bliss did not begin with its own studio.

For years, the company trained wherever it could—renting space at different facilities and making use of garages, parks and other available spaces. At the same time, Fae continued her own education, completing the Actor Training Program at Solano Community College and later earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Sacramento State University. She balanced school, teaching, building Bliss and working outside jobs, including years of early-morning opening shifts at Starbucks.

There was no major investor, roadmap or financial backing behind Bliss. Fae often describes those early years as having “a dollar and a dream.” What she did have was persistence, a willingness to work, and a belief that something meaningful could be built for young artists in her community.

In 2011, nearly a decade after the journey began, Fae was finally able to leave her day job and open the doors to Bliss Urban Arts Center, giving Bliss Dance Company its first permanent home. 

MORE THAN A DANCE STUDIO

From the beginning, the vision for Bliss was bigger than dance.

Fae wanted to create the kind of space she wished she had experienced as a young artist—a place where young people could be challenged, supported, encouraged to be themselves and given opportunities to discover what they were capable of.

Over the years, Bliss has grown into an artistic community encompassing dance, theatre, music, poetry, fitness, performance, mentorship and community events.  Fae has produced and participated in hundreds of performances and events, connected artists throughout the region, mentored young performers and helped create opportunities for generations of students.

Bliss has also remained unapologetically competitive. Bliss Dance Company has earned recognition at competitions and showcases including World of Dance Bay Area, Onyx and Prelude, while continuing to perform professionally throughout the region. 

But trophies have never been the entire point.

The success of Bliss is perhaps best reflected in the dancers who grew up within its walls. Many former and longtime BDC dancers have gone on to become performers, choreographers, instructors, mentors and leaders themselves. Today, Bliss proudly describes its company instructors as “homegrown”—artists who understand the culture because they were once students within it. 

That full-circle legacy represents what Bliss was always intended to become.

STILL BUILDING. STILL CREATING. STILL BLISS.

More than two decades after Bliss Dance Company was established, the original mission remains intact: create opportunities, develop artists, build community and give young people a place where they can belong while expecting them to work for their growth.

The journey from borrowed spaces, garages and parks to an established arts center was never simply about opening a dance studio. It was about creating something sustainable enough to outlive a single generation of dancers.

Today, Bliss Urban Arts Center continues serving Solano County while Bliss Dance Company continues training, competing, performing and evolving. The work has also received recognition within the greater arts community: Fae has received multiple Solano County Arty Awards, and in 2024, Bliss Dance Company’s Summer Showcase received the Arty Award for Outstanding Youth/Adult Dance Production. 

And after more than 20 years, Fae’s philosophy remains simple:

“Once you’re a part of Bliss, you’re a part of me.”
— Fatena “Fae” Salfiti

Established 2004. Home established 2011. And the Blisstory is still being written.