Ballet Hispánico continues B Unidos, its video series, with Watch Parties in June and July 2020, available at www.facebook.com/ballethispanico, https://www.ballethispanico.org/bunidos/watch-party, or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeBVCPHnWSLKF4c53fAqDRw/.

 

Enjoy a Company performance from the comfort of your own home, followed by live Q&A sessions with Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico Eduardo Vilaro, choreographers and Company dancers:

 

Wed June 17 at 7pm: Waiting for Pepe

Wed June 24 at 7:30pm: Sombrerísimo

Tue June 30 at 7:30pm: Noche Unidos, a night of dance and unity

Wed July 8 at 7:30pm: El Viaje

 

"As a community of dancers, artists, and human beings, we are all in this together. We will persevere through this challenging time and we hope that these videos provide a coping outlet, for you, for our followers and the community overall," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. 

 

Waiting for Pepe (2018)

Choreography by Carlos Pons Guerra

Music by Banda Ionica, Chavela Vargas, Carlos Campos, Par Ney da Castro
Lighting Design by Bob Franklin
Costume Design by Ghabriello Fernando
Federico García Lorca's 1936 play, The House of Bernarda Alba, tells the story of five Andalusian sisters confined by their tyrannical mother to eight years of strict mourning. Taking its initial inspiration from this iconic play, Waiting for Pepe expands the walls and number of inhabitants of Bernarda Alba's house. The dance reflects on our current world, where domineering figures like García Lorca's infamous matriarch are appearing across the globe. These figures draw a raw, absurd, and darkly comical portrait of the yearning, tension, and hysteria that oppressed communities experience when they are denied the beautifully feathered bird that is sexual, religious, and individual freedom.
World Premiere: April 10, 2018 at The Joyce Theater

 

Sombrerísimo (2013)

Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Music by Banda Ionica featuring Macaco el Mono Loco, Titi Robin, and soundscape by various artists

Costume Design by Diana Ruettiger

Lighting Design by Joshua Preston

Inspired by the surrealist world of Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats, Sombrerísimo references the iconic sombreros (hats) found throughout the world that help to represent culture. Originally choreographed for an all-male cast, Sombrerísimo has evolved into a work that can also be performed by an all-female or mixed-gender cast.

Sombrerísimo was commissioned by New York City Center for the Fall for Dance Festival.

World Premiere: September 20, 2013 at New York City Center

 

Noche Unidos

A Night of Dance and Unity

Hosted by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO 

World Premieres By Seven Prominent Latinx Choreographers

Appearances include Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, 

Pacquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, and other Latinx artists 

The evening includes seven virtual world premiere performances featuring Ballet Hispánico Company dancers, new works created remotely in the past weeks by world renowned choreographers, celebrity appearances including Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, Pacquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, and other Latinx artists. A highlight of the eveing will be performances by Ballet Hispánico School of Dance students Julienne Buenaventura and Ruby Castillo, Nuestro Futuroscholarship recipients in BH's La Academia program. The pre-recorded show will include new works set remotely on our dancers by seven prominent Latinx choreographers. The choreographers are social distancing in locations around the world, and our dancers are across the country, yet the beauty of dance transcends the distance between them.

 

El Viaje (2019)

Choreography by Edwaard Liang

Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Costume Design by Danielle Truss

Lighting Design by Joshua Paul Weckesser

Liang evokes emotion through moving sound and lush movement to exemplify how many individuals feel when one leaves one's homeland or country of birth to seek a new life, including moments of remembering, sharing, and letting go. He particularly focuses on the Chinese mass emigration from the nineteenth century to 1949 and the Chinese-Cuban diaspora to explore identity and the ghosts of a former life.

World Premiere: March 26, 2019 at The Joyce Theater

 

# B Unidos

The Instagram series features videos created by the three arms of the Ballet Hispánico: the professional company, the School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnership (CAP) and featuring the hashtag #BUnidos at www.instagram.com/ballethispanico/.

 

"As a community of dancers, artists, and human beings, we are all in this together. We will persevere through this challenging time and we hope that these videos provide a coping outlet, for you, for our followers and the community overall," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. "Now more than ever, it is important to band together in support of the arts. The personal and professional challenges that we have already endured and will continue to face over the next few weeks or months are significant. What we can take from this time of cancellations, uncertainty and social distancing is a chance to use our creativity to connect with the community on a new level. Social distancing does not mean emotional distancing. Ballet Hispánico was founded upon and has always believed in the importance of reaching and servicing our community through dance and culture. As this pandemic occurs during our 50th Anniversary, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, get back to our roots by reaching out to community near and far, and look forward to what is ahead."

 

About Ballet Hispánico

Ballet Hispánico, America's leading Latino dance organization, has been bringing people together to celebrate the joy and diversity of Latino cultures for 50 years.

 

Over the past five decades, Ballet Hispánico's mission-driven ethos has been a catalyst of change for communities throughout our nation. By bringing the richness of the Latinx culture to the forefront of performance, education and social advocacy, Ballet Hispánico is a cultural ambassador.

The organization's founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today, Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company whose artistic vision responds to the need for social equity, cultural identity, and quality arts education for all.

Ballet Hispánico has been, and will continue to be, a beacon for diversity. The art we create explores and celebrates the culture without the trappings of stereotypes. We foster the pursuit of art as a way of providing transformation through the exploration of the human condition. Our art often defies gravity, acting as a frontline against cultural division by releasing preconceived notions of culture and instead offering our audiences new perspectives.