Sutinen studied comparative literature, theatre and sociology at the University of Helsinki.
[2] A serious knee injury put an end to her career as a dancer in the 1980s, and she turned to writing about dance as a reviewer.
[3] Sutinen is involved in several national and international networks where she has also held several positions of trust.
[6] She was artistic director and general manager of the Dansens hus [sv] in Stockholm between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2013.
[7][8] Since 2014, Sutinen is artistic director of the contemporary dance festival Tanz im August Berlin.