Biography
Guest Choreographer, Future Voices dance concert, Fall 2018
Cynthia is a choreographer and dance educator committed to inclusion, representation, and social consciousness in both pedagogy and creative practice. She received her BFA, Summa Cum Laude at the University of Minnesota, and her MFA as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. She has served as the Choreographer in Residence for the Minnesota Dance Theater, under the direction of Lise Houlton, and is a four-time winner of the Arizona Choreography Competition’s Professional Division.
Original works by Gutierrez-Garner have been commissioned by colleges and universities across the U.S., including Kent State University, University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, Gustavus Adolphus College, University of Oregon, University of Wisconsin, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Texas Rio Grande, and the American University. She has enjoyed commissions with professional companies including the Minnesota Dance Theater, Dulce Dance Company, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Zenon Dance Company, and JazzAntiqua.
Gutierrez-Garner’s work has seen support from organizations such as the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Walker Art Center, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She has taught on the dance faculties of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine, and as a guest faculty at Xuchang University in China. She currently serves on the faculty of Western Oregon University, and is the Artistic Director of Company Movimiento, based in Eugene, OR.