“Hamilton” star Lin-Manuel Miranda and “Fearless” actress Rosie Perez were part of Ballet Hispánico’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. The ceremony’s recording will be available online for free on YouTube, Facebook and ballethispanico.org for the next two weeks.
One of the nation’s most prominent Latino dance groups, the company was founded in 1970 in New York by Tina Ramirez, a dancer and choreographer who since her early beginning studied ballet, modern dance and ethnic dance. The Puerto Rican-Mexican-American artist would later incorporate those styles into the company’s core programs, world-famous for presenting dances reflecting the experience of Hispanics and Latin Americans.
Ballet Hispánico’s New York City headquarters houses a dance school and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community.
The company launched in 2010 the Instituto Coreográfico, a choreographic institute for “Latinx artists to create culturally specific work in a nurturing learning laboratory of dance,” according to its website. In this program, “the choreographer in residence is paired with an emerging filmmaker to document their process, create promotional materials and add a layer of artistic collaboration.”
In recognition of her work and contributions to the field of dance, Ramirez received the National Medal of Arts in 2005. Created by the U.S. Congress, the award honors artists and patrons of the arts.
The Ford Foundation designated Ballet Hispánico one of “America’s Cultural Treasures” last year, awarding the company $4.5 million over four years.
Oscar-nominated Miranda and Perez were part of the virtual celebration on May 28, featuring performances by Ballet Hispánico and artists of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance.
Online access to the event is free of charge “thanks to the generous support of our ticket buyers, donors, and sponsors.”
The company has reportedly performed for more than 2 million people in the U.S., Europe and South America with a repertory of over 75 works, all of them created especially for Ballet Hispánico fusing ballet, modern and Latin dance in celebration of contemporary Latino culture.
For more information, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org.
Rosie Perez and Lin-Manuel Miranda Celebrate Major Latino Ballet Company first appeared on LatinHeat Entertainment.
(Edited by Gabriela Alejandra Olmos and Kristen Butler)
