Ballet Hispánico celebrates Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th Season with a World Premiere
Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s largest Latine/x/Hispanic dance organization recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, continues their 2023/24 season. A company that “compels audiences to think differently and lean into an unseen, unimaginable cultural vibrancy” (Broadway World), Ballet Hispánico amplifies Latinx artists and cultures through innovative contemporary works.
In honor of Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th season as Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico, the program, April 25-28, will feature the World Premiere of Buscando a Juan. Vilaro’s new work, inspired by The Met’s exhibition of Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter, is a layered and immersive piece inspired by the life of Juan de Pareja, the Afro-Hispanic painter who was enslaved in Spanish painter Diego Velázquez’s studio for over two decades before becoming an artist in his own right. The work is a thought-provoking homage to the nuanced dance of shared vulnerability and intimate collaboration among artists that redefines the boundaries of individual creativity, beckoning us to question the very essence of artistic identity.
Unveiling the electrifying transformation of gender identity expressions in Latin America, the visionary choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa fearlessly deconstructs norms in her stunning recreation, now brought to life in the pulsating rhythm of House of Mad’moiselle. Brace yourself for a provocative dance journey that challenges perceptions and celebrates the bold artistry of breaking boundaries; and 18+1, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s celebration of the vulnerability, care, and hope that comes with each artistic endeavor. Tickets start at $45 ($20 for the En Familia Matinee) and are available here.
Eduardo Vilaro is the Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico (BH). He was named BH’s Artistic Director in 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since its founding in 1970, and in 2015 was also named Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Vilaro has infused Ballet Hispánico’s legacy with a bold brand of contemporary dance that reflects America’s changing cultural landscape.
Mr. Vilaro’s philosophy of dance stems from a basic belief in the power of the arts to change lives, reflect and impact culture, and strengthen community. He considers dance to be a liberating, non-verbal language through which students, dancers, and audiences of all walks of life and diverse backgrounds, can initiate ongoing conversations about the arts, expression, identity, and the meaning of community.