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a Movement in DANCE

Electric spirited and sophisticated. These are just some of the words that come to mind when watching a Ballet Hispanico production. The New York-based company has mesmerized audiences worldwide for close to four decades, merging Latin dance with classical and contemporary forms to create a unique—and certainly passionate—style.
Ballet Hispanico’s repertory encompasses 77 works from some of the most respected choreographers in the industry, including Graciela Daniele and Ann Reinking. The company’s 13 members, whose performances have been described by theater critics as vibrant and infectious, bring both technical prowess and dramatic sensibilities to the stage.
Ballet Hispanico is the brainchild of Artistic Director Tina Ramirez who founded the troupe in 1970. The
Venezuelan-born professional dancer put aside her successful performing career to not only train dancers, but to also educate the public on Hispanics’ rich and dynamic culture. Ballet Hispanico now includes the company, the school of dance that provides programs for children and adults in ballet, modern and Spanish dance forms, as well as the Primeros Pasos Arts Education program in the schools.
Ramirez has won numerous accolades over the years, among them the coveted National Medal of the Arts in 2005.
Here Ramirez discusses Ballet Hispanico’s long and illustrious dance movement and her fierce mission.

Hispanic Magazine: What was your dream and vision in creating Ballet Hispanico?
Tina Ramirez: My dream was very simple. I wanted the general audience to get to know us as real people—to know our humanity and to know that we have a great culture behind us. At the time that I started Ballet Hispanico, many Latinos might have aspired to be dancers, but in reality there were few Hispanic dancers working professionally. I wanted to provide opportunities for young dancers who wanted to truly make a living by dancing. Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno were on Broadway. On the classical stage, there was Luis Fuentes at Joffrey, Lourdes Lopez at New York City Ballet, Hilda Morales at ABT [American Ballet Theatre] and Alba Calzada at the Pennsylvania Ballet. But they were the exceptions.
In addition, we made Ballet Hispanico accessible to people who knew nothing about dance. If you came to Ballet Hispanico, you were not going to see Swan Lake. But you would see something that spoke to you about your own life and emotions.
HM: To what do you attribute Ballet Hispanico’s success and longevity?
TR: Aside from hard work, I believe our success came because we were different from everyone else. Over the years, we’ve offered dance audiences a choice. Our longevity can also be attributed to the variety of programs that we offer not only through our professional company, the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance, and the Performances for Young People that we do all over the United States, but to the many generations of dancers and fans that we continue to train in public schools through our outreach and after-school programs. People who experience dance early on carry that love with them throughout their life.

HM: What would you say has been Ballet Hispanico’s greatest achievement?
TR: It is hard to narrow it down to one thing. We have brought many people to dance who would otherwise not go to dance because we remove the barriers to experiencing the art. We have been around for almost 40 years, which is rare in the dance industry. I have seen many generations of families come through the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance, which is an incredible testament to the dedication our work has inspired. We’ve given students a love of art, discipline and a feeling of self-esteem. Even if they’re not always pursuing dance as a professional career, we change students’ lives in a positive way.

HM: What are your hopes for Ballet Hispanico as you move forward?
TR: I want to continue to bring new audiences into the dance world, so that the general public gets to know and understand us better as people and not just as a stereotype. I also hope that we can continue to do new theatrical and dramatic works by up-and-coming Latino choreographers or choreographers who are inspired by the unique style of our company.

HM: What legacy do you wish to leave behind?
TR: An institution that Hispanics can point to with pride.

HM: What performances are in the works?
TR: Always more dance, more ballets, more cutting edge work. Our national tour extends year-round offering performances, master classes and educational lecture demonstrations to audiences across the country.

HM: What can we expect in the future?
TR: In the future, I would like to do even more theatrical works for the company, expand our national educational programs, and tour internationally. People in Europe and Asia do not know the depth of the Hispanic diaspora and, to my way of thinking, it would be exciting to tell them who we are.