Raoul Max Trujillo, also known as Raoul Maximiano Trujillo de Chauvelon, was born in Northern New Mexico to a mixed-blood family with roots in Tlaxcalan, Ute, Apache, Comanche, Pueblo, French, Sephardic Jew, and Andalusian Moor cultures. After serving in the military in Germany, he worked as an alpine ski instructor in Taos, New Mexico, before traveling extensively through Mexico, Central, and South America, which led him to discover his cultural roots and begin creating art based on his heritage.
Trujillo started his career in theatre as a scenic painter and later became an actor/dancer, making his professional debut in a production of Equus in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He then trained extensively in modern dance and ballet in Los Angeles and Toronto, and joined the Nikolais Dance Theatre under the direction of Alwin Nikolais, with whom he toured the world and learned scenic, costume, and lighting design.
After leaving the company, Trujillo began his solo work as a dancer and choreographer, incorporating native myths and legends into his performances. He became the choreographer and co-director of the American Indian Dance Theatre, the first professional Native American dance company, and choreographed several pieces, including "The Shaman's Journey" for the Asia Society.
Trujillo also worked with creative partners Alejandro Roncerria and Rene Highway, creating successful theatre pieces for Native Earth Theatre Company, and directed several productions for various companies. He helped establish the Aboriginal Dance Project at the Banff Center for the Arts and choreographed the dances, ceremonies, and rituals for Terrence Malick's film "The New World".
As an actor, Trujillo began working in film and television in 1988 and continues to do so to this day. He created his own production company, Tzacol Productions, Inc., in 1992, which produces original work in the realm of tantric and tribal spectacle. His company has produced several multi-media and inter-disciplinary theatre and film projects, including "Forbidden Goddesses" and "Homo Erectus".
Trujillo has also written a screenplay, "The Dreamer", and received the CANCOM Ross Charles award in Canada to attend the Banff Center's screenwriters workshop for aboriginal storytellers. His work spans over three decades and includes various disciplines and media, from dance and choreography to acting, directing, and screenwriting.
