Ballet Hispánico mourns the loss of our beloved founder, Tina Ramirez, September 6, 2022. Tina grew our company from a local, community-based dance  program into a world-renowned organization with a celebrated professional dance company, a scholarship-rich School of Dance, and extensive community arts programs and partnerships. For her work as a trailblazer for women and communities of color, Tina was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. A tireless and brilliant woman, she leaves behind a rich legacy of bringing dance, cultural connection, and transformation to students and communities throughout the world.

Tina Ramirez Through The Years

Tina and Coco Ramirez captured by famed photographer of the stars, Bruno of Hollywood NYC.
Photo Credit: Bruno of Hollywood NYC - Ballet Hispánico Archives

Tina Ramirez and Lolita Gomez with Federico Rey in 1948.
Photo Credit: Bruno of Hollywood NYC - Center of Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College

Tina Ramirez’s first professional dance shot.          Photo Credit: Bruno of Hollywood NYC - Ballet Hispánico Archives​

Tina Ramirez advises students on their hand placement at Ballet Hispánico's School of Dance. 
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ballet Hispánico

Tina and Coco Ramirez posing with Jazz musician, Louis Armstrong, taken at the Chez Paris in Chicago in the 1950s.
Photo Credit: Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College

Tina Ramirez receiving the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush in 2005.
Photo Credit: Eric Draper

Tina Ramirez and Eduardo Vilaro share a special moment at Ballet Hispánico’s Black Slipper Ball at The Plaza Hotel, The Grand Ballroom on April 20, 2009.
Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

“I am heartbroken by the news of Tina's passing. Her legacy lives on not only in the extraordinary gift that she left the world, but in each and every person, child, artist and family member that she touched and inspired. We are all part of her legacy of access and cultural pride and will continue her mission to give everyone the right to find their bliss in dance.”  Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO

Video created by The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC), the organization that awarded Tina Ramirez the Lifetime Achievment Award in 2012.

To learn more about Tina's legacy click here.

Remember Tina Ramirez, our beloved founder, by reading her obituary in The New York Times and The Washington Post

Tina Ramirez


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