Biographical Notes
Esther Gutiérrez
Sloan,
a native Colombian, is the President and founder of
SALSArobics, Inc.
Esther began performing
South American Folkloric dance in Colombia at the age of four. In
1965, at age 12 she moved with her family to the United States. In 1978
she received a B.S. in Computer Science with high honors from Northeastern
Illinois University. She worked for several years in the field of
Information Science, including marketing, financial, and manufacturing systems.
In 1988 her love of people, music and dance drew her to change her career and
create
SALSArobics®,
the pioneering form of aerobic exercise that combines authentic Latin rhythms
with the steps to popular Latin dances. Participants in
SALSArobics
not only get a whole-body workout, they learn Latin dancing while they exercise.
In addition to being
President of SALSArobics, Inc., Esther created and managed the FITKIDS
children’s fitness program for the
Lake Forest Health and Fitness Institute,
and is currently Director of the Youth Fitness Program for the
Lake Forest Fitness Center.
She also teaches land and water master classes and is a certified personal
trainer. In addition, she previously was fitness counselor at
Women's Residential Services,
a Lake County addiction recovery program for women and their children.
Since 1998, Esther and
SALSArobics
have been a part of the
Pathways to Learning
“Be Well/Take Care” curriculum for continuing education for K-12 teachers. Since
2000, Esther has been teaching
SALSArobics
to Latin dancing instructors at the
Chicago International Salsa Congress.
Esther is currently a presenter for the
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and
Northwest Indiana,
introducing young girls (K -8) throughout the Chicago area to a fitness
lifestyle through the “Fit to Be Me with
SALSArobics”
program.
Esther is ACE certified
and is trained in Total Body Training Systems. She is a popular
presenter, having led land and water workshops and
SALSArobics
exhibitions nationally and internationally, at fitness industry conventions,
resorts, health clubs, wellness centers, hospitals, dance studios, recreation
centers, fund raising events, conferences and ethnic festivals. She is a
sought-after motivational speaker and presenter in the educational industry,
continually presenting at elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and
universities for both students and faculty alike. Her presentation topics
include Hispanic heritage celebration, cultural diversity, physical education,
language arts, communication skills, and building relationships.
Esther has been married
for 37 years and has two daughters, ages 25 and 28. Esther's community
involvement has included school board member and board president. She has
taught Spanish to preschool and elementary age students. As a PTO
volunteer in the Lake Bluff public school system, Esther has taught Fine Arts
History, served as a speech tournament coach, co-chaired her school district’s
annual Pumpkin Chase Family Run/Walk for two years, and has been an active
room-parent. Esther was a member of the Board of Directors and Board President
for the
Montessori School of Lake Forest.
She also teaches religious education and leads the Liturgy of the Word for
children as part of the Sunday mass at her community's parish. Esther was
an advisory board member of
CenterStage in Lake
Forest,
the community's theater group. She has also volunteered her time for City
of Hope, The American Heart Association, Aids Walk Chicago, Dance for Life, and
Latino Entertainment, by leading warm-ups and exercise segments, and
participating in promotional events.
