Cynthia Gutierrez is a LatinX choreographer and dance educator committed to inclusion, representation and social consciousness in both pedagogy and creative practice. She is a teaching specialist and creative researcher in both contemporary post-modern dance and American concert jazz technique. Gutierrez received her B.F.A. Summa Cum Laude at the University of Minnesota, and her M.F.A. as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She has served as the Choreographer in Residence for the Minnesota Dance Theater and is a four- time winner of the Arizona Choreography Competition- Professional Division. Works by Gutierrez have been commissioned by numerous institutions 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, Muhlenberg College, St. Olaf College and the American University, among others. Professional company commissions include the Dulce Dance Company, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Zenon Dance Company, Concerto Dance Company and L.A. based JazzAntiqua. Her work has been produced across the U.S in Minneapolis, MN (including the Southern Theater, the Fitzgerald Theater, the Walker Art Center, the O'Shaugnessey Theater, the Guthrie Lab), in Arizona (including the Herberger Theater, Tempe Center for the Arts and the Scottsdale Center for the Arts), New York City's Miller Theater, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Gutierrez’s work has seen support from organizations such as the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Walker Art Center, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the Lane Arts Council. She has taught on the dance faculties of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and Gustavus Adolphus College, the prestigious Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine and as a guest faculty at Xuchang University in China. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Gonzaga University and is the Artistic Director of Company Movimiento- a modern and jazz dance company committed to exploring cultural identity, social justice and activism.