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Ballet Hispanico to present world premiere at The Joyce Theater

by Michelle Brandon
March 17, 2013
The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue (at the corner of 19th Street)
New York, NY 10011
212-242-0800

Featured Dance Company:

Ballet Hispanico
Ballet Hispanico (office)
167 West 89th Street
New York, NY 10024
212-362-6710
www.ballethispanico.org

Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization since 1970, returns to The Joyce Theater for its 25th annual New York Season from April 16-28, 2013. Tickets range from $10-$59. Tickets are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or online at joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC.

Program A gives voice to a stellar trio of Spanish works: the world premiere of Sortijas by Cayetano Soto, one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking Spanish choreographers of his generation; the 30th anniversary—and Company premiere—of Jardi Tancat, the award-winning work that launched Nacho Duato's career; and the Joyce premiere of A vueltas con los ochenta by the cutting-edge duo Inma García and Meritxell Barberá, which explores the "Movida Madrileña" against the backdrop of 1980s Europop.

Program B jewels include Argentinean Alejandro Cervera's Tango Vitrola, along with Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro's Danzón, set to live music by Latin Jazz legend Paquito D'Rivera. The return of audience favorite Nube Blanco is a flamenco-inspired treat to behold.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity for our dancers to share the stage again with Paquito D'Rivera, one of the Latin Jazz greats, and to work with such gifted collaborators this season," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico. "Cayetano Soto's brilliant new voice and Nacho Duato's first work ever combine to make this a program not to be missed."

Sortijas – WORLD PREMIERE
Cayetano Soto, one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking Spanish choreographers of his generation, creates his first commission for Ballet Hispanico. A stellar introduction to this exceptionally talented and visionary artist, Sortijas will celebrate the Latino experience in its full cultural and social complexity.

Jardi Tancat (1983) – 30th ANNIVERSARY AND COMPANY PREMIERE
Choreography by Nacho Duato
Duato's very first work, based on Catalonian folk tales sung by Maria del Mar Bonet, won him first prize at the International Choreographic Workshop in Cologne. With equal shades of passion and melancholy, the ballet evokes the despairing yet hopeful prayers of Spaniards who wait for rain on their barren land.

A vueltas con los ochenta (2012) – JOYCE PREMIERE
Choreography by Inma García and Meritxell Barberá
García and Barberá's first work for Ballet Hispanico uses contemporary dance to evoke the sights and sounds of the cultural revolution in 1980s Madrid known as "La Movida." Drawing upon that time's need for creative expression and individuality, the work recreates the memory of one night of freedom, exploration, and invention lived by a young group of friends.

Danzón with live music by the Paquito D'Rivera Ensemble (2009) – JOYCE PREMIERE
Choreography by Eduardo Vilaro
Initially evolved from Haitian contradance, the Danzón has been called the official dance of Cuba. Eduardo Vilaro has taken this traditional and quintessentially Cuban dance form and reinvented it with contemporary language to construct a joyous celebration of music and movement.

Tango Vitrola (1987) – JOYCE PREMIERE
Choreography by Alejandro Cervera
Tango Vitrola conjures a metaphysical space that highlights the struggle between men and women through simple yet poetic patterns.

Nube Blanco (2009)
Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Nube Blanco (White Cloud) is inspired by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's childhood memories of the beautiful songs of Maria Dolores Pradera. Lopez Ochoa brilliantly integrates the Spanish zapateado footwork that is found in flamenco dance and gives it a contemporary twist.

Dancers: Lauren Alzamora, Donald Borror, Jamal Rashann Callender, Martina Calcagno, Alexander Duval, Mario Ismael Espinoza, Melissa Fernandez, Major Nesby, Hillary Ramos, Vanessa Valecillos, Kimberly Van Woesik, Joshua Peter Winzeler, and Jessica Alejandra Wyatt.

Ballet Hispanico will perform April 16-28, 2013 at The Joyce Theater, with performances Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm and 7:30pm (Evening performance on Sunday, April 21 only).

Program A:
Tue 4/16 and Wed 4/17 at 7:30pm, Thu 4/18, Fri 4/19, Sat 4/20 and Sat 4/27 at 8pm, Sun 4/21 at 7:30pm
Jardi Tancat, Sortijas, A vueltas con los ochenta

Program B will include a live performance by Paquito D'Rivera:
Tue 4/23 and Wed 4/24 at 7:30pm, Thu 4/25 and Fri 4/26 at 8pm
Nube Blanco, Tango Vitrola, Danzón

Program C:
Sat 4/20, Sun 4/21, Sat 4/27 and Sun 4/28 at 2pm
Jardi Tancat, Tango Vitrola, Nube Blanco

The matinee performance on Saturday, April 27, 2013 will include a post-performance chat with artistic director Eduardo Vilaro and Ballet Hispanico dancers.

The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. Tickets begin at $10 and are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.

Ballet Hispanico's 2013 New York season is made possible by Jody & John Arnhold, Goldman Sachs, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Open Society Foundations & the Fund for the City of New York, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Princess Grace Foundation - USA and with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and Spain Culture New York-Consulate General of Spain & Spain Arts & Culture. Sortijas is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project. NDP is supported by lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.

ABOUT BALLET HISPANICO

Celebrating 42 years of dance and culture, Ballet Hispanico is recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization. Led by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the Company boasts a rich and diverse repertory of over 100 works by the foremost choreographers and emerging artists of our time. The works expand on founder Tina Ramirez's legacy of exploring the diversity of Latino culture through a fusion of classical, Latin, and contemporary dance powered by theatricality and passion. The Company has performed for an audience of nearly 3 million, throughout 11 countries, on 3 continents. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org. Follow Ballet Hispanico on Facebook and Twitter.

EDUARDO VILARO joined Ballet Hispanico as Artistic Director in August 2009, following a ten-year record of achievement as Founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. He has been part of the Ballet Hispanico family since 1985. As a dancer in the Ballet Hispanico Company, Mr. Vilaro performed works by Vicente Nebrada, Talley Beatty, Ramon Oller and other audience favorites. As an educator he assisted Ballet Hispanico founder Tina Ramirez in developing a program for children living in temporary housing and was involved with many aspects of the organization's education residencies. Mr. Vilaro is an accomplished choreographer, having created over 20 ballets for his own company in addition to the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Lexington Ballet, and the Civic Ballet of Chicago. In 2001 he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award for choreography, and in 2003 he was honored at Panama's II International Festival of Ballet for his choreographic work. He received a B.F.A. in Dance from Adelphi University and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia College Chicago, where he served as Artist-in-Residence at The Dance Center.

PAQUITO D'RIVERA defies categorization. A child prodigy, he studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music. He has performed with major symphony orchestras throughout the world, and has received numerous commissions. Honors include a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition, and a 2007-2008 Composer-in-Residence at Caramoor. He is also the recipient of a 2005 NEA Jazz Masters award, a 2005 National Medal for the Arts, Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend in 2007, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007, Frankfurt Musikpreis in 2008, Nelson Rockefeller Honoree in 2010 and 11 Grammys in classical and jazz categories. He also writes social commentary and has written three books.

THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION, INC., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce's Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

BALLET HISPANICO

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC
April 16-28, 2013
Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7:30pm (Evening performance on Sunday, April 21 only.)
Tickets $10-$59. Ticket prices are subject to change.
JoyceCharge: 212-242-0800, joyce.org
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