FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2012
Contact: Michelle Tabnick, (646) 765-4773, [email protected]
BALLET HISPANICO
presents the World Premiere of Espiritu Vivo
created by Ronald K. Brown
and set to music performed live by Susana Baca;
Asuka, Eduardo Vilaro’s first work for the company;
and the New York Premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Nube Blanco
at The Joyce Theater from April 17-29, 2012
with Family Matinees on April 21, 28, 29 at 2pm
Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the preeminent Latino dance institution in the United States,
returns to The Joyce Theater for its annual New York Season from April 17-29, 2012. This
year’s program pays tribute to the richness and range of the company’s Latino roots – and the
diverse talents of the dancers – and features African and Caribbean influences. Works to be
performed include a World Premiere, Espiritu Vivo, created especially for Ballet Hispanico by
Ronald K. Brown and set to music by Afro-Peruvian Latin Grammy Award winner Susana
Baca, who will perform live during Program A; the Joyce premiere of Asuka, Artistic Director
Eduardo Vilaro's first work for the company, an exuberant homage to salsa legend Celia Cruz;
and the New York Premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Nube Blanco. The Joyce Theater is
located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. Tickets range from $10-$59. Tickets are
available by phone at 212-242-0800 or online at Joyce.org.
The program includes three premieres:
• Espiritu Vivo, an exciting collaboration between Ballet Hispanico and Brooklyn-based
choreographer Ronald K. Brown, explores the intersection of the African and Latino
diasporas in the Caribbean and in Latin America. Using the rich history, tradition, and
dance forms from these regions, the work explores the stages of grief and the promise of
a new day. Susana Baca will perform live during Program A.
• Asuka is a celebration of the music of Celia Cruz through the lens of the Latino
experience. Cruz, renowned as the "Queen of Salsa," captured the heart of Latinos the
world over and became a symbol of perseverance for many. Through rich imagery and
humor, Eduardo Vilaro explores the struggles of departure from one’s homeland and the
exuberance of success experienced by a community.
• Nube Blanco (White Cloud) is inspired by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s childhood
memories of the beautiful songs of Maria Dolores Pradera. Lopez Ochoa brilliantly
integrates the Spanish zapateado technique or footwork that is found in flamenco dance
and gives it a contemporary twist.
Artistic Director: Eduardo Vilaro I Founder: Tina Ramirez I Chairman: Kate B. Lear
“We are thrilled to work with such gifted collaborators this season,” said Eduardo Vilaro,
Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico. “Ronald K. Brown’s work, set to the music of the
incomparable Susana Baca, is mesmerizing. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has showcased the
emotional range of our dancers in her pieces. And Celia Cruz’s remarkable impact on the Latino
community was the inspiration for my first work for Ballet Hispanico. I wanted to honor her
music, which captured the voice of so many immigrants.”
The program also includes a revival and repertory favorites:
• The revival Guajira features the guajira, the women of the Cuban countryside who spend
their days toiling in the sun beside the men, then enjoy a little rest and perhaps a bit of
flirtation, and in the evening forget their day of toil in a rousing guateque (party) with the
other laborers. The typical guajiro rhythm is heard here, notably in the second
(“Guajiras”) section. But, like the culture of Cuba itself, the music and the gestural
language of the piece hark back both to Africa and to Spain. Guajira was created by
Pedro Ruiz and is set to the music of Los Activos, Conjunto Céspedes, and José Maria
Vitieir.
• Mad’moiselle, a highly theatrical work that explores iconic male/female images and
gender role-playing in Latin American cultures, was created by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
to a soundscape inspired by Chavela Vargas. The score, developed by Ms. Ochoa with
composer/sound designer Bart Rijnink, draws on the music of Ms. Vargas, who is best
known for her rendition of beloved Mexican rancheras.
• Locked Up Laura, a sensuous pointe duet by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa set to the music of
Bart Rijnink, explores the human struggle to maintain authenticity in the face of routine
through the lens of an artist.
• Tito on Timbales is a tribute to the music of master percussionist Tito Puente. In this
ballet, choreographer William Whitener captures the joy and intricacies of social dance
through cascading patterns, sensual partnering and the community of celebration.
Dancers: Lauren Alzamora, Donald Borror, Jamal Rashann Callender, Mario Ismael Espinoza,
Rodney Hamilton, Min-Tzu Li, Andrea Salamanca, Jeffrey Sykes, Vanessa Valecillos,
Kimberly Van Woesik, Joshua Winzeler, Jessica Alejandra Wyatt.
Ballet Hispanico will perform April 17-29, 2012 at The Joyce Theater, with performances
Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; and Saturday at
2pm; and Sunday at 2pm and 7:30pm.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Program A
Tuesday, April 17 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30pm; Thursday, April 19 at 8pm;
Friday, April 20 at 8pm; Saturday, April 21 at 8pm; Sunday, April 22 at 7:30pm
Nube Blanco; Espiritu Vivo with Susana Baca; Asuka
Program B
Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30pm; Thursday, April 26 at 8pm;
Friday, April 27 at 8pm; Saturday, April 28 at 8pm
Guajira; Espiritu Vivo; Mad’moiselle
2
Program C
Saturday, April 21 at 2pm; Sunday, April 22 at 2pm; Saturday, April 28 at 2pm; Sunday, April
29 at 2pm
Tito on Timbales; Locked Up Laura; Espiritu Vivo; Asuka
The matinee performance on Saturday, April 21 will be a Family Matinee. Tickets for children
are $10 ($6 with Joyce Junior Membership). Ballet Hispanico’s Family Weekend matinees will
take place on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29.
The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. Tickets begin at $10
and are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.
Ballet Hispanico’s 2012 New York season is made possible by Jody and John Arnhold, Goldman
Sachs, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Open Society
Foundations and the Fund for the City of New York, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels
Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and with public support from the National Endowment for
the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Asuka was commissioned
in part by Goya Foods in celebration of their 75th Anniversary, by Gaily and John Beinecke, the
University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and by the National Endowment
for the Arts. Espiritu Vivo was commissioned by the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo
Performing Arts Center and funded by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts,
public support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and in part by
National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts. NDP is supported by lead
funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from the Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the
Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
ABOUT BALLET HISPANICO
Celebrating 41 years of dance and culture, Ballet Hispanico was founded by Tina Ramirez and is
recognized as the nation's preeminent Latino dance organization. Now led by Artistic Director
Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispanico has grown from its grassroots origins as a dance school and
community-based performing arts troupe to become a world-class institution that explores,
preserves, and celebrates Latino cultures through dance. With a professional Company that has
performed for an audience of over 2 million throughout 11 countries on 3 continents; a School of
Dance unique in its emphasis on ballet, modern and Spanish dance; and an Education &
Outreach division that creates extensive programming for public schools, both in New York and
around the country, Ballet Hispanico builds new avenues of cultural dialogue and shares the joy
3
of dance with all communities. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org. Follow
Ballet Hispanico on Facebook and Twitter.
EDUARDO VILARO joined Ballet Hispanico as Artistic Director in August 2009, following a
ten-year record of achievement as Founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in
Chicago. He has been part of the Ballet Hispanico family since 1985. As a dancer in the Ballet
Hispanico Company, Mr. Vilaro performed works by Vicente Nebrada, Talley Beatty, Ramon
Oller and other audience favorites. As an educator he assisted Ballet Hispanico founder Tina
Ramirez in developing a program for children living in temporary housing and was involved
with many aspects of the organization’s education residencies.
THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION, INC., a non-profit organization, has proudly
served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot
Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater
in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It
was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and
ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance,
The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290
domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new
dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly
subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public
school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce’s Dance Education Program, and
adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance
Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48
weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.
BALLET HISPANICO
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC
April 17-29, 2012
Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7:30pm
Tickets $10-$59. Ticket prices are subject to change.
JoyceCharge: 212-242-0800, joyce.org
###
4