About Ballet Hispánico

One of America's Cultural Treasures and Leading Latinx Dance Organization

Mission

Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and community engagement.


About 

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.


“The extraordinary act of a Latina immigrant embarking on a journey of access to the arts for a community … is a heroic example of artistic advocacy. When thinking of the years, the families, the students, the artists, and the administrators whose lives Ballet Hispánico changed, one cannot help but wonder in amazement at the power of such vision. It was this idea of service for a marginalized and silenced community that made Tina Ramirez’s founding of Ballet Hispánico unparalleled.” – Eduardo Vilaro​

Impact


Buzz

“Both earthy and classically elegant” - The New York Times

“smashingly theatrical” - Chicago Sun Times

“a cutting edge crowd pleaser” - The Washington Post

“Ballet Hispánico delivers spirited fun.” - The Boston Globe

“Empowering voices the world needs to hear.” - Mackenzie Scott

“One of America’s Cultural Treasures.” - Ford Foundation


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