Theresa Bautista has been hailed by the Louisville Courier Journal as a “delight to watch” and by the Louisville Arts Review as “mesmerizing” on stage. A dancer, choreographer, interdisciplinary artist, and educator based in Louisville, KY, she earned her B.S. in Biology from Indiana University. Theresa has performed professionally with ICONography Dance in Colorado Springs, CO, The Susie Thiel Collaborative at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, The Brown Dance Projects at the RAD Festival in Kalamazoo, MI, Anna Sapozhnikov’s MOYAMO DANCE in Chicago, IL and Louisville, KY, Rachel James for the Choreographers without Companies Festival in Cincinnati, OH, and Gordon Dance Projects, jan street dance theatre and Art! Art! Barking Dog in Louisville, KY. Theresa was the Founder/Artistic Director and served as Co-Producer of Moving Collective, a dance organization based in Louisville, KY. During its twelve year existence, the organization produced festival-style concerts to provide local and regional choreographers and dancers a venue in which to share their craft.

Theresa is the recipient of the prestigious Al Smith Fellowship in Choreography for FY 2021 and 2019 Hadley Creative.  She has choreographed works for the Louisville Ballet Studio Company, Youth Performing Arts School, The University of Kentucky’s Department of Theatre and Dance, the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, The Louisville Ballet Youth Ensemble, School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Cincinnati’s Area Choreographer Festival, Moving Collective, U of L Dance Theatre, Berea College Dance Troupe, Empujon, the University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble, The Center for Women and Families, and Bluegrass Youth Ballet. Her work has shown at several dance festivals including the Southeast Regional Ballet Festival in Atlanta, GA, Montgomery AL and Raleigh, NC, the American College Dance Festival in Jackson, MS, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival in Chicago, IL, the Regional Alternative Dance Festival in Kalamazoo, MI and the Big River Dance Festival in Huntington, WV.

Theresa is an Instructor in the Dance Program of UK’s Department of Theatre and Dance and faculty at the Louisville Ballet School.  She has taught for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts for 18 years, serving as the Dance Chair for 7 years.