artist Statement
I am a jazz dancer, educator, choreographer and champion for defining and preserving American jazz dance from its complex cultural foundation to a focus on and commitment to the Giordano Technique and to an expansiveness of the art form as it manifests today. Jazz dance roots are in my soul and come from my core, not merely in the dance studio but throughout my everyday life. My teachings come from exploration, examination, and experience in humanity and in my travels around the world. I revel in the use of rhythm, musicality, drive, nuance and celebration whether in the use of the torso, the hips, and the groundedness of the form, all the while remaining relevant to the history of jazz. Where does jazz dance come from and who are the people/cultures who contributed to its growth? My choreography aligns with my Latin heritage and those untold number of artists who have shaped my own artistic path. Throughout my career, I have learned as much from my students as I have from my teachers simply because we are all practitioners of jazz dance. I see myself as a vessel in which I share all that has been given to me.
This is my passion, this is my life's mission.
biography
Cesar G. Salinas, originally from Portland, Oregon, is Associate Artistic Director for Giordano Dance Chicago. He began his formal studies in dance with Zohar School of Dance, under the direction of Ehud Krauss in Palo Alto, CA. There he was introduced to the classic jazz styles of Gus Giordano, Luigi, and Matt Mattox. He moved to Oregon where he studied at Willamette Ballet Academy under Deborah Higginbotham. Cesar went on to furnter his training at the University at Buffalo, where he graduated with a BFA in Dance. He received a scholarship to Giordano Dance School in Chicago, IL, in 2004 and 2005. From 2006 until 2011, Cesar joined the Giordano Dance Chicago as a full company member performing throughout the United States and Europe. During his tenure, he was proud to be a part of GDC's educational outreach program, teaching science and health dance classes to 4th and 5th grade students in under-resourced public schools in Chicago. Cesar was honored to be on the cover of Dance Magazine (August
2007) and to teach at the Jazz Dance World Congress in 2007, 2009, and 2012. In 2013, he was chosen as a soloist for BalaSole Dance Company performing Hunted in New York City’s Alvin Ailey Citigroup where he received rave reviews: “richly physical performance that drew the audience’s unfettered enthusiasm” – Philip Gordon. Cesar toured the world with Royal Caribbean cruise lines as a performer in the Broadway production of Saturday Night Fever as well as an aerialist. In the January 2018 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine, Cesar demonstrates the Giordano Technique alongside Nan Giordano in honor of the company’s 55th Anniversary Season. Cesar is a certified teacher in the Giordano Technique at the Basic, Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Professional Levels of the Nan Giordano Certification Program® (NGCP®). In 2018, Cesar returned to the stage at the Auditorium Theatre to perform Gus Giordano’s 1978 iconic solo Wings in honor of Nan Giordano’s 33 years at the helm and 25th Anniversary as Artistic Director for GDC. Lauren Warnecke of SeeChicagoDance wrote, “...you could almost imagine Gus himself up there performing the piece he made 40 years ago.” He currently teaches master classes and workshops, as well as choreographs for universities and
studios across the country.