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Maria Urrutia
Associate Professor
College of Arts & Humanities - Theatre and Dance
Bio
Maria Urrutia is an Associate Professor at West Chester University in the Department of Theater and Dance and within the Honors College. Her scholarship and movement practice focuses on Cuban Rumba in diaspora and has been presented in London, Montreal, Trondheim, Miami, Ladek, Angers, São Carlos, New York and Edinburgh. In the summer of 2023 Prof. Urrutia will share her latest performative research, Nickels & Dimes at Sorbonne University of Paris.
Aside from her own scholarship and movement practice she is a member of Cardell Dance Theater, which tours nationally and internationally. The company director, Silvana Cardell is a Guggenheim Fellow and focuses the company work on social and political issues such as immigration.
Urrutia’s teaching pedagogy is centered on the lived experience. As such, she searches to support and highlight the individual talents of each student while empowering them to actualize their theoretical and performative potential.
Her professional dance work includes:
- Cardell Dance Theater
- Reggie Wilson Project
- Robert Drake's Cabaret at L'Etage
- Urrutia; Solo & Duet Work
Expertise
- Cuban Dance
- Cuban Rumba
- Cultural Dances
- Performative Practices
- Site Specific Performances
- Dance Composition
- American Dance forms | Jazz | Modern
Education
- B.F.A., University of the Arts
- Ed.M., Temple University
- M.F.A., Goddard College