Elena Gutiérrez

Gutiérrez was born in 1944 to Joaquín Gutiérrez, a Costa Rican writer, and Elena Nascimento, a Chilean.^[1][2][3]

Enrolling at the School of Dance at the University of Chile in 1958, Gutiérrez studied under Joan Jara, Sigurd Leeder and Patricio Bunster [es].^[2][3][5] Gutiérrez later studied at the Beijing Dance School and the Bolshoi Theatre before earning a MA from the Choreography Faculty of the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts.^[3][5]

In 1968, Gutiérrez settled in Chile and began dancing for the Chilean National Ballet.^[3] Following the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, Gutiérrez and her family fled to Costa Rica.^[3][6][7]

In 1974, Gutiérrez founded and became the first director of the School of Dance at the National University of Costa Rica.^[2][3][4] The following year, Gutiérrez and Cristina Gigirey [es] founded the Ballet Moderno de Cámara.^[2] Later institutionalized by the Ministry of Culture, the Ballet Moderno de Cámara became the National Dance Company (Spanish: Compania Nacional de Danza) in 1979.^[2]

Gutiérrez choreographed Beatles 3/4 (1976), Pavana Para una Infanta (1980), Brindis (1985) and Bienaventurados (1987).^[2][3][4]

Gutiérrez was previously married to Mohsen Sadoon Yasin (1932–2014), an Iraq theatre director, before later divorcing.^[5][6][8] Gutiérrez gave birth to the couple's daughter Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez, a director, screenwriter, producer and actress, whilst studying in Moscow.^[3][6][8][9]