Gilmtzm
The Full Story
Bio
Gilberto (Gilmtzm) Martinez Martinez is a Chicanx Queer male-idenitifying choreographer, dancer, and educator. He is earning his M.F.A. at the Department of World Arts and Culture/Dance in Choreography Inquiry at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in Dance & Performance Studies with a minor in Theater & Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. His research explores the somatic experience of identity in the performing arts, media, and culture with an emphasis on Latinidad and Queerness. His academic research examines stereotypes and cliché representations of gay Latino men in pornography on social media. His performing and teaching is in modern, contemporary, and improvisational dance and he is also a practitioner of ballet, West African, and Latin social dance forms, particularly Cumbia, Bachata, Merengue, amongst others. Gilmtzm has taught and choreographed middle school through collegiate level students for over nine years, and worked in arts administration for dance departments, including Fresno City College and Roosevelt High School of the Arts. A mission to inspire others to love dance in their bodies motives his choreography and performance.
Artist Statement
I am a Chicano Queer male-identifying artist. My movement incorporates inspirations from my Chicanx and queer personal experiences as well as the exploration of human emotions. I am currently intrigued by film dance aspects to further push the arts into the technological age, exploring the use of videography in relation to live performance, when in-person may not be an option due to our real time pandemic issue, but also in use like that of Screendance. I am also working on generating a more diverse youth population in the arts through being the Chicanx queer representation I never saw, and have been expanding my knowledge into higher education dance with UC Berkeley. In addition to creating in-person performance experiences, I hope to push the definition of performance to an online spectrum while still attaining the same emotional effect via screen and video.
Equity Statement
I believe theater and dance have the power to transform and change the world. Providing inclusive platforms for diverse voices, fostering empathy, and promoting social justice are but a fraction of what we as artists can do through such a medium. I am involved with the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQIA2+ communities and strive to be a catalyst for social change through theater and dance platforms. I work towards creating a space encouraging dialogue and critical thinking to tackle complex social issues and have thought-provoking discussion. By harnessing the transformative power, I invite my collaborators and visitors to work towards creating a more equitable and compassionate world.
