Claudia Gutierrez
Dancer
A professional dancer, model and actress of Afro Colombian heritage, Claudia is a captivating and versatile artist with a wealth of experience in Brazilian and Latin dance.
Starting ballet at the age of 5, Claudia began performing Colombian folkloric and Latin cultural dances at the age of 10. She trained Salsa extensively in Colombia, Australia and in NYC at the famous Eddie Torres dance school and completed a Bachelor of dance, with a major in Jazz. In addition to performing Salsa at major Latin events and festivals in Sydney and interstate including the Darling Harbour Fiesta and Bacardi Festivals, Claudia performed across Australia with the successful “Cuban Nights” show. She was also a sought after Salsa instructor for Club Salsa and various other dance schools for many years in Sydney.
Claudia has been performing Brazilian dance for some 18 years and has also taught Samba at various dance schools. She was a principal performer for one of Sydney’s earliest major show groups, Brazilian Latin Dance Company (directed by Marcone Pereira) and has performed at major events in Sydney, around Australia and internationally in New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. One of Claudia’s many career highlights includes the creation of an all female Brazilian percussion group called “Samba Girls Batucada” where she played the Surdo (bass drum). She had the honour of playing Surdo alongside Brazil’s famous percussion group Olodum when they performed in Sydney at Luna Park. Claudia has travelled to Brazil on more than one occasion and in 2019 she spent significant time in Rio de Janeiro training and parading in Rio Carnaval.
A professional model for 18 years, Claudia has worked extensively nationally and internationally for top designers and brands. She was based in Italy for a year where she was model for top designers including Ermano Scervino, Pucci, Neil Barret and Thez Tziveli. She has appeared in TVCs and modeled for brands including Topo Chico, Freedom Furniture, Virgin Mobile, Jeep, Heineken, Uber, Tiffany and co, Wella, Búlgari, Mumm, David Jones, Rebel, Ellenvoo and Unibet. Claudia has appeared as a model and dancer on various television programs, video clips, films and and events including The Voice Australia, Australia’s Got Talent, The Kerrie Anne Show, The Falls movie, the Cooks show and the new Galantis Music.
A joy to watch in any performance, Claudia brings her magnetic presence, passion for the culture and diverse experience in Brazilian and Latin dance to the Rio Projekt ensemble.
