Kristen Cheser
Staff Writer
Ballet Hispánico seek to counter racism and stereotypes by creating an environment of unity and diversity with multiple styles of dance, portrayed in their performance last Sunday.
Eduardo Vilaro, the artistic director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico, said the company provides a way to teach communities about the Hispanic Diaspora through dance.
“Today, with the unfortunate ugly rhetoric against Latinos and people of color, we continue to bring a unifying voice to the divisive noise,” Vilaro said. “Our work brings all people together to discover for themselves who we are and why we are so important for the fabric of this nation.”
The company focuses on the three primary dance styles of classical ballet, modern ballet and latin dance.
“Our culture is so diverse that I feel diverse dance styles lends to a better understanding of the multiplicity of cultural essences and allows the choreographer to use a broader array of tools to create the work,” Vilaro said.
Ballet Hispánico is based out of New York City but has a dance company that performs internationally. It was started as a dance school in 1970 by Tina Ramirez who gave opportunities to those who felt marginalized, Vilaro said.
“Ballet Hispánico will forever be a beacon of unity and discovery and a resource for anyone interested in dance and the Latinx cultures,” Vilaro said.
Marsha Knight, UW professor of ballet, composition and historical dance, attended the production and had an opportunity to speak to Johan Rivera, the rehearsal director of Ballet Hispánico, at a master class that had been provided to advanced ballet students.
“What a wonderful thing it would be to bring them back for our summer festival because of the quality of their company and their diversity is very appealing to include in our campus arts department,” Knight said.
The first dance Con Brazos Abiertos mentioned themes of life and life as a Latino American. There were numbers in the dance that centered around props such as sombreros and massive skirts that flowed wildly as the dancers spun around.
The next dance named 3. Catorce Dieciséis’s inspiration, according to the ballet’s program, came from the number Pi. Classical Opera blared in the modern and classical hybrid ballet.
The final act told the story of discrimination of Latinx people in media. The costumes were vibrant and the styles varied wildly as the mood of the story unfolded. One girl, being chased after someone portrayed as a director, stopped suddenly and the music flipped to an angry tempo and the dancer thrashed wildly until the director ran away in fear.
“In the next fifty years, we will continue giving opportunities to those who might have never had the opportunity to find a life in dance,” Vilaro said. “We will continue creating incredible works of art, but above all we will help develop the next generation of Latina and Latino leaders.”
