Background, Vision, Mission and Goals

Xochipilli - Compañía de Danza Mexicana is a Mexican folk dance company founded in 2002. We are a volunteer organization based in Santa Cruz County whose vision is to evolve into a professional dance company known for excellence, dancer development and quality signature productions.

Xochipilli's mission is to provide a disciplined and professional artistic outlet for the promotion, preservation and creation of Mexican folkloric dance.

Xochipilli's short-term goals include:

• Securing long-term rehearsal space.
• Continuing to develop the technical dance and artistic foundation of existing core group of dancers.
• Increase the company's membership by identifying and recruiting additional committed members who share the group's vision, mission, goals and philosophy.
• Further developing the group's business management infrastructure to meet the operating needs of a growing dance company.
• Developing a long-range fundraising plan that includes partnering with a fiscal sponsor or pursuing a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt status.
• Initiate planning and fundraising efforts for Xochipilli's European tour.

Instructor and Leadership Capacity
José Manuel Cuéllar, Xochipilli's Artistic Director, has extensive training and experience in Mexican folk dance, modern dance, ballet and jazz. He has danced and trained with the world renowned Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad de Colima under the direction of Rafael Zamarripa; one of Mexico's leading choreographers in Mexican folk dance. José Manuel has traveled and performed in México, Japan, Ireland, England and throughout the United States to audiences of up to 50,000 people.

Artistic Director José Manuel Cuéllar has over 8 years of professional work experience in the corporate, city government, non-profit and educational setting. His experiences as the Director/Instructor of a dance school in San José and as a Technology Instructor at the University of Colima gave him the opportunity to further refine his teaching skills and subsequently, his ability to train and develop dancers. Currently José Manuel serves as the Operations/IT Associate with the California Association of Nonprofits' subsidiary, CAN Insurance Services.

Besides developing dancers, José Manuel is responsible for creating and developing the company's performances. He has created numerous original signature dances, choreographies and suites that authentically capture and respectfully present the spirit and essence of Mexican culture. These creations have been the foundation of Xochipilli's artistic growth each year. They have been described by audience members as "genuine", "powerful" and "moving". José Manuel is responsible for leading the company's artistic development and for supporting the company's operations and development.

Cynthia Cúellar, Xochipilli's Development Director has over 15 years experience in nonprofit management including a nine year career working with the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA, Inc.), once the largest Latino based social service non-profit in Santa Clara County. In 2009 she completed a one-year assignment as the Special Projects Coordinator with the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2 working with County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado during her last year in office. After completing her assignment with Supervisor Alvarado in 2009 she had the pleasure of serving as the Initiative Officer with the Silicon Valley Community foundation where she managed the planning, implementation for the Stretch To Kindergarten initiative; a school-readiness initiative. She currently serves the nonprofit field as a consultant in the areas of project management, event planning, graphic design and grant writing.

Cynthia is an alumni of Leadership Santa Cruz County. She has extensive leadership training and event planning/management experience. Her goal is to continue to formally develop her skills and ability to coach individuals and groups to identify and reach meaningful goals. Ms. Cuéllar is an active member of Xochipilli and has over 18 years of dance experience with various companies in the United States and México and has participated in numerous Mexican folk dance festivals in the US and Mexico. She has traveled and performed in the United States, México, Ireland and England. Cynthia is responsible leading Xochipilli's operations and development and supporting the company's artistic development.

Xochipilli Membership
The group is currently composed of 18 active members, most of which are Santa Cruz County residents. Xochipilli welcomes all dancers and aspiring dancers with a positive outlook who are open to learning, growing and being a part of Xochipilli's mission, vision and goals in a team environment. We welcome individuals who have a passion for dance and Mexican culture and have the ability to integrate rehearsals and performances into their schedules. Prior dance experience is helpful but not required.

For performance inquiries, partnership opportunities or information on joining Xochipilli please contact Cynthia Cuéllar at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .