Xavier Gutierrez stepped center stage and struck a casual pose.
As the music — a medley of Michael Jackson hits from the “Thriller” and “Bad” eras — built, Xavier shimmied, spun, thrusted, moonwalked and performed complicated footwork that channeled Jackson himself. He finished his routine with a flourish, doffing the stylish fedora that somehow defied gravity and remained perched at a jaunty angle on his head.
He then flashed a shy grin, the clear braces on his teeth in stark contrast to the sophistication of his routine and serving as a reminder that Xavier Gutierrez is all of 13 years old.
“He’s been dancing since the car seat,” Xavier’s mother, Cathy Gutierrez said. “He got into Michael Jackson and he would watch these YouTube videos, and this whole thing became his stage.”
By “this whole thing” she meant the concrete patio slab in the Gutierrez family’s Pueblo backyard. The kitchen was Xavier’s first studio, the sliding glass back door his first studio mirror.
His venue has grown significantly over the past few years, to include two upcoming performances with the Pueblo Has Talent finalists during the Colorado State Fair.
This summer, Xavier’s fancy footwork has wowed agents and judges across the nation. He captured titles and received offers of representation during talent search competitions in New York and Dallas. Last month he won his division at the International Models & Talent Association (IMTA) auditions in the Big Apple.
“Everybody was very supportive,” he said. “There were dancers, singers, actors, models.
“I just got on stage and went with it. Everybody just went wild.”
Startin’ somethin’
Xavier is largely a self-taught dancer, although for two years he took hip-hop lessons from Pueblo’s Sarah Shaw Dance Studio. When he was a baby, Cathy Gutierrez would play Carlos Santana music for him, spurring his natural rhythm and flair for the dramatic at an early age.
And nearly a decade ago, he discovered the King of Pop.
“My mom bought a Michael Jackson (DVD),” he said. “I watched it over and over and copied the hands and how he trusted his body.”
Xavier started mimicking Jackson. And not just any dance moves, but the complicated choreography of “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean” and “Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’ ”
Those knee kicks where Jackson would extend his knee 90 degrees to the floor and then sling his lower leg parallel to the ground?
Yup, Xavier’s got that.
Moonwalking?
Got that, too.
Complicated, foot-frenzied spins?
Check.
Xavier even has the single, sparkly glove.
“My mind was blown when I went to ‘Michael Jackson (ONE) Cirque du Soleil,’ ” he said.
So much so that he couldn’t contain himself, Gutierrez said. Xavier channeled his hero right there on the theater steps.
Paying his dues
Xavier, who started middle school this year at Chavez-Huerta Preparatory Academy, was competing in New York last month for tuition to a summer arts and educational academy. Although he finished first, his closest challenger — a boy from Africa — won the scholarship.
And that’s OK, both mother and son said.
“All this is fun, but he has to stay grounded,” Gutierrez said.
A retired teacher, she said it is important to her that Xavier keep up his grades as well as help to pay his own way for the audition trips. IMTA, the talent agency in New York, provided the family with raffle tickets they could sell to help raise funds for their weeklong trip.
Xavier went door-to-door with his mother and grandmother, Virginia Guida, explaining — and sometimes demonstrating — his love of dance. Occasionally, Xavier said, boosters would agree to buy a ticket, provided they got a personal performance.
He would happily comply, cutting a rug on a neighbor’s porch, driveway or lawn.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Xavier said. “I’ve learned a lot, too.”
SOURCE: Pueble Chieftain
