Hispanic heritage through dance is not only folklore but also art and innovation. This is how the New York Hispanic Ballet explains the work it develops as a company, whose mission is to give voice and presence to Latin American artists in the United States.
“We in Latinos have music, we have dance that is not only a tradition but in our hearts. And that is what is important about our mission, to continue the conversation about the diversity found in Latinidad,” he said. told the Voice of America Eduardo Vilaro, artistic director and executive president of Ballet Hispánico.
As part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Ballet Hispanico will visit Northern Virginia not only to showcase their art but also to continue the work that has been going on for 55 years : breaking stereotypes and creating opportunities for Hispanic students and young talents in the world. of dance.
“Our mission is to help our dance students through scholarships so that they can develop an artistic career, but also to give a voice to our cultures because we are not one, we are many and through the voices of the people dance that we are presenting,” said Eduardo Vilaro.
Since its founding, back in the 1970s, by the renowned dancer and choreographer Tina Ramírez, the New York Hispanic Ballet has laid foundations on the importance of breaking the stereotypes of what it does. What it means to be Latino in the United States. “We have turned 55 years old and we continue in the same struggle because we still have immigrants who need that voice and support to spread their art,” says the artistic director .
In recognition of their hard work in the arts world, the Ford Foundation named the New York Hispanic Ballet an “America’s Cultural Treasure” in September 2020 for its “legacy spanning 50 years as an organization culturally transformative. for an audience.” , families and communities across our country,” read the award announcement.
Hispanic Ballet visits the world
The New York Hispanic Ballet has become an ambassador for the Hispanic community around the world. The company has presented its choreography to over 2.5 million people on three continents and has recently taken its artistic offerings to Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Middle East.
“With this company we have had the opportunity to integrate and show the Latinidad and pride in what we have to the whole world,” says the artistic director.
But at the same time, he points out that it was a big challenge, especially when they have to present their art in front of a culturally diverse audience as in the exhibition recently in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“The people in the Middle East have very different customs from ours, because of our movements and dances, but we have to respect them. Despite this, our presentation was very well received, they liked it a lot because they saw the meaning of our awareness. that is.
Education and dance
As part of its program for Hispanic Heritage Month, the Ballet Hispanico will not only present one performance on Saturday, October 5 at the George Mason University Center for the Arts but has also been invited by the university to teach workshops and share interactive conversations with him. students.
“We are excited to have Ballet Hispánico back in our community to help us celebrate Latin music, culture through dance action and cultural enrichment,” said Victor Adebusola, Engagement Manager at George Mason University Center for the Arts.
At this time, Ballet Hispánico’s repertoire promises to be very different with choreographies “from the past and the present.” With everything that we love about our culture and that unites us traditionally,” he told the spokesperson. VOA artistic director of Ballet Hispanic.
In this way they present a choreography by the Venezuelan choreographer Vicente Debrada, together with “Sombrerísimo” by Annabelle López Ochoa, inspired by the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte.
“Looking for Juan” by Eduardo Vilaro, inspired by the life of Juan de Pareja, the Afro-Hispanic painter who was trapped in the studio of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez for more than two decades before becoming an artist in his own right and “Club Havana” by Pedro Ruíz, which transports listeners through classic Cuban culture with the intoxicating rhythms of conga, rumba, mambo and cha-cha-chá.
Through these dances, Ballet Hispánico promises to show “the awareness and love of life that we carry deep inside and that allow us to live not only in our countries but also far away.” It is a language that invites us all to unite, to live. It is something very beautiful and it gives me strength to get up every day and continue our mission to teach our young people what Latin we have,” concluded the artistic director of Ballet Hispanic, Eduardo Vilaro.
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2024-10-04 09:17:24
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