This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ballet Hispánico, America’s leading Latino dance organization, with a mission of giving voice to the community’s cultural identity and experience through performance, education, and social advocacy. To commemorate this milestone year, the company will present Noche Unidos, a night of dance and unity, on Tuesday, June 30, at 7:30.
Hosted by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro – a renowned choreographer and former member of the dance troupe – the pre-recorded online celebration and benefit features world-premiere pieces created remotely over the past weeks of quarantine by Vilaro and other internationally acclaimed choreographers (Kiri Avelar, Rodney Hamilton, Michelle Manzanales, Andrea Miller, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Pedro Ruiz, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, and Nancy Turano) from locations around the world. They are performed by Ballet Hispánico dancers and School of Dance students, who are social distancing across the country. Among the emerging stars to be given the spotlight are Julienne Buenaventura and Ruby Castillo, recipients of the “Nuestro Futuro” scholarship in Ballet Hispánico’s “La Academia” program.
The evening will also contain guest appearances by such renowned Latinx artists and friends as Pacquito D’Rivera, Arturo O’Farrill, and Rita Moreno (one of only fifteen artists, and the first Hispanic woman, to win a Tony, Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy Award); messages of support from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Norman Lear (whose daughter, Broadway producer Kate Lear, is the Ballet Hispánico Board Chair); and a performance of her new song “We Needed Time” by Gloria Estefan (who, along with her husband Emilio Estefan, is a multiple Grammy winner and the subject of Broadway’s hit jukebox musical On Your Feet!). All will join in virtually to honor the legacy of Ballet Hispánico’s Founding Artistic Director and National Medal of Arts honoree Tina Ramirez (respected for her trailblazing work as a dancer, choreographer, and advocate for Latin-fusion ballet), and to embrace the beauty of dance, which transcends distance and brings them, and us, together.
Everyone is invited to view the show, with an RSVP requested in advance; optional donations are welcome. The event is supported by the lead sponsorship of Goya Foods, which has contributed generously to meet the overwhelming demand for food donations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Noche Unidos streams on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, from 7:30-8:15 pm. To view the show, go online to Ballet Hispanico’s Facebook page, Instagram account, or YouTube channel.
