Photos: Ballet Hispánico
Ballet Hispánico is thrilled to present the Pa’lante Scholars Spring Concert with performances Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3, 2024 at 7pm, and Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 2pm and 7pm at Ballet Hispánico’s Penthouse Studio, 167 W. 89th Street, NYC. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
Experience the enchantment of dance up close with The Ballet Hispánico School of Dance’s Pre-Professional Program, Pa’Lante Scholars, meaning “Forward” in Spanish. Delight in the extraordinary talent and grace of the next generation of dancers during four exclusive performances. Join us in celebrating our local talent and immerse yourself in an unforgettable experience!
Program:
Estoy Aquí by Eduardo Vilaro
Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
New Work by Jennifer Florentino
Llamada by William Whitener
Living the Dream… by Michelle Manzanales
Bury Me Standing by Ramón Oller
The Pa’lante Program is Ballet Hispánico’s full-time, daytime training program for pre-professional dancers, which includes Pa’lante Scholars and Pa’lante Trainees. The Pa’lantes study and train under the unique Ballet Hispánico model and train in ballet and contemporary, learn Ballet Hispánico repertory, and have many performance opportunities. The Pa’lante Scholars study tuition-free and Pa’lante Trainees are a tuition-based program. Partial scholarships and tuition assistance are available. This exclusive program has limited enrollment and is open to all dancers of all backgrounds.
Ballet Hispánico was founded on the principle that everyone deserves dance, quality dance training and innovative performances. In creating the company in 1970, Tina Ramirez shattered a glass ceiling—challenging iconic representations and exposing the joy and celebration to be found in Latindad. Despite its humble origins, Ballet Hispánico immediately served as a catalyst for people in the Latine/x/Hispanic community, especially for Latino youth, to follow their dreams in the cultural world.
Today, as the largest Latino cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, Ballet Hispánico’s three main programs, the Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships bring together communities to celebrate the ever growing and multifaceted Hispanic diasporas. Ballet Hispánico’s New
York City headquarters provide the space and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. It is a space that expands on Ramirez’s original vision by providing our community the ability to train through dedicated scholarship opportunities, exceptional dance training, inclusive cultural dialogues, and exemplary performances. No matter
their background or identity, Ballet Hispánico welcomes and serves all, breaking stereotypes and celebrating the beauty and diversity of Hispanic cultures through dance.
Eduardo Vilaro joined Ballet Hispánico as a Company dancer in 1985 and became the organization’s second Artistic Director in 2009 and CEO in 2015. Vilaro is building on Ramirez’s impact: expanding and deepening a legacy of showcasing the depth of our cultures, and exposing the intersectionality found in the Hispanic diasporas by focusing on nurturing Hispanic leaders. Through programs like the Instituto Coreográfico, the Latinx Leaders Summit and Diálogos, Ballet Hispánico has become a center for artistic leadership development. As an immigrant himself, Mr. Vilaro’s vision of inclusion and cultural revelation has elevated a community from the margins to its place ingrained at the center of the American cultural landscape.
Ballet Hispánico is an ambassador for our community worldwide. The company has now performed for more than 2.5 million people in three continents and all fifty states. Our company engages audiences with the work of Latino and Latina choreographers, opens a platform for new cultural dialogue and nurtures inspiring young dancers of all ages.
Through its exemplary artistry, Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies the Latin American experience in the field. As it looks to the future, Ballet Hispánico is committed to continue nurturing artists, teachers, students, arts leaders, families and communities through the power of dance.
