Today we’d like to introduce you to Giselle Gutierrez.
Hi Giselle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My dance career began at a local studio named Studio 10 run by Pat Holbrook, the mother of Curtis Holbrook, in San Antonio, TX. I mainly fell in love with Broadway, however as the years went by, I discovered a TV show called ABDC and fell in love with urban dance. I stopped dancing in my middle school years to pursue cheerleading, but once I started high school, I joined my school’s dance team, The Antonian Silver Dancers. My coach, Drea Pena-Kocian, with the help of the assistant coach, Diandra Buckley, played a huge role in my passion to continue fighting for my dreams. While on Varsity, I was a solo finalist in my junior year at Showtime Nationals and had many leadership roles in our new JV Team my senior year. When I moved to Los Angeles to study at AMDA-LA, I started noticing how all parts of the industry were intriguing and focused on being a versatile dancer. During the pandemic, I took a long break back in San Antonio and was able to return to LA in the fall of 2020. When returning I joined a mentorship program named MAD Program LA focusing on foundational hip hop styles, run by EJ Hoffman.
Through the program, I’ve seen exponential growth and my goal is to explore all aspects of the dance industry from Broadway to film to music videos. I have been a part of a Purpose Media Production visual named “So Pretty,” A short film named “Can We Even Feel at all?” created by Hannah Gallagher, and my first live show with MAD Program LA. I also enjoy seeing the dance world behind the camera and using filmmaking to inspire my craft and merge my two favorite career paths. Now, I am working on a 3 part visual with Maddie Raine, Emily Eyman, and Ahlyia Rios, the founder of Purpose Media, and will be graduating from AMDA LA on February 12th. I’m excited to continue growing and evolving in the dance industry as well as discovering the world of film.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many obstacles I’ve had to overcome, however, the drive to succeed in my work has always helped me push through those hard times. Back in Texas, especially in my city, many artists decide not to pursue their dreams whether it’s their family or friends telling them it’s not a stable career path or the fear of failing. I had friends and family members tell me to come up with a “backup plan” because their perception of the industry was that it was not suitable to create a life with. I’ve had plenty of times where I would try to enjoy other majors like physical therapy, journalism, or even psychology, but I always went back to the dream of performing. I’m grateful to have had such supportive parents and coaches in high school because if it wasn’t for them, I would’ve given up and moved on to something that didn’t fulfill me. More recently, I’ve had to break relationships that were bringing me so much anxiety and weren’t beneficial to my life anymore. It is especially difficult to get over a toxic cycle of helping others more than helping myself and letting people dictate my choices. Outside of all that, self-doubt is the biggest obstacle I’ve had to fight, and am still learning to accept where I am instead of always thinking about where I could be. I feel like I can make an entire essay on this topic, however, at the end of the day obstacles will always come and go and the most important thing I remind myself is that I am human, failing is part of the process, and these situations are never forever.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As I said before, I am a dancer and filmmaker. I enjoy helping other dancers see their creations come to life through skeleton work while also creating choreography to share with my peers for fun. I also love sharing lifestyle-based vlogs and videos on my Youtube channel. As for film, my favorite thing to shoot is kinetic storytelling as my audience can interpret many ideas through my work. Outside of kinetic work, I create dance visuals and class videos for my friends and other creatives to share on their social media. Something that many people don’t know about me is that I’ve helped businesses build their online engagement through social media management by creating videos and flyers. I am most proud of my film work in the dance industry because those visuals are showcasing my biggest passions into one story. The amount of versatility I have in dance and film is what sets me apart from others because my goals have always been to know every side of my passions and gain as much knowledge in whatever I’m interested in.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Filmic pro is what skyrocketed by passion in film as it turns your phone into a cinematic camera. All of my film and dance work has been through this app and it’s fascinating what you can create with something you use daily. Some Podcasts that I feel have helped me in and outside of my career have been Beyond The Pointe by Allie Christensen, Mental Morphosis, and Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain. Headspace is another great app that I use throughout my day and through the night to help me mentally, no matter what mood I’m in.
Pricing:
- Filmic Pro – $14.99
- Headspace – $9.99/yr with a student discount
Contact Info:
- Email: gisellemarylin14@gmail.com
- Website: https://gisellemarylin14.wixsite.com/dance
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloriousgiselle/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-orDBSpyJWCeKoi8rt7sFg
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user94534920
Image Credits:
Jess Alba and Purpose Media
