Maija Garc´ia

Maija García is a visionary Cuban American artist renowned for her work in theater, film, tv, music, dance, and live installations. Newly appointed Director of the Capri Theater in Minneapolis, García engages historical narratives to develop innovative work that moves culture forward. Jazz Island is her first collaboration with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and features an original score by Etienne Charles, costume design by Carlton Jones, scenic and lighting designs by Al Crawford. The work is inspired by a Caribbean folktale from '”Black Gods, Green Islands” by Geoffrey Holder.

García served as Director of Movement for Spike Lee’s Oscar award-winning Blackkklansman, CHI-RAQ, and She’s Gotta Have It on Netflix. She also worked alongside Bill T. Jones to choreograph FELA!, the Tony Award-winning musical on Broadway and at the National Theatre of London and became Creative Director of the FELA! world tour in the United States, Europe, and Africa and FELA! The Concert in Australia and New Zealand.

As a stage director, García has helmed a range of productions from original musicals to bilingual classics, including the hit musical I Am Betty at the History Theater; VALOR, a Spanish golden-age play written in 1630 by Ana Caro at the Guthrie Theater; CRANE: on earth in sky by Heather Henson and Ty Defoe; and Salsa Mambo Cha Cha Cha by Issac Delgado, Santiago Alfonso, and X Alfonso at Teatro Mella in La Habana, Cuba. García will direct water riot by Derek McPhatter, produced in association with New York Live Arts and National Black Theatre, at the Apollo Theater in 2026.

García’s choreographic works include the first original choreography for West Side Story at the Guthrie Theater; Kiss My Aztec by John Leguizamo and Tony Toccone at Berkeley Rep and La Jolla Playhouse; Snow in Midsummer by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Cuba Libre by Carlos Lacámara at Artists Repertory Theatre (PAMTA Award); Another Word for Beauty by Jose Rivera at the Goodman Theatre; Hatuey: Memory of Fire by Frank London Elise Thoron at Montclair Peak Performances; and Fats Waller Dance Party in collaboration with Jason Moran and Meshell N’degeocello at Harlem Stage, UMS, San Francisco Jazz Festival, and the Kennedy Center.

García founded Organic Magnetics to generate urban folklore for the future and to develop sustainable solutions through the arts.  She wrote, directed, and produced Ghosts of Manhattan: 1512-2012, an interactive history, an immersive experience in Fort Tryon Park, and I Am NY: Juan Rodriguez, about New York’s first immigrant at El Museo del Barrio.

As Director of Education and Professional Training at the Guthrie Theater from 2018-2025, García programmed advanced training for actors and developed digital theater curriculum for educators.  García earned a degree in Sustainable Development from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2005 and is a professor of practice at NYU Grad Acting, City College of New York, and Yale University. A member of the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers since 2009, she served on the Tony Nominating Committee for the Broadway League; on the Advisory board of the Melrose Center for Principled Leadership at University of St. Thomas, and now serves on the Mayor’s Downtown Action Council for the City of Minneapolis.