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Ballet Hispanico
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New York, NY

Ballet Hispanico's 2013 Spring Gala a million dollar success

by Michelle Brandon
April 25, 2013
New York, NY

Featured Dance Company:

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

Ballet Hispanico raised more than $1 million in support of the company's important artistic and educational work in New York City and around the country at their 2013 Spring Gala on Monday, April 8, 2013. A portion of the contributions are designated to the Jody G. Arnhold Scholarship Fund, launched last year by Ballet Hispanico Honorary Chairman and 2012 Gala honoree Jody Gottfried Arnhold to further support the School of Dance. In addition, guests were surprised with a $100,000 challenge grant made by the SHS Foundation, a longtime supporter of Ballet Hispanico with a deep commitment to dance and education. Approximately 400 attendees gathered in The Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom to celebrate the legacy of the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance, and honor Randy Falco, President & CEO of Univision Communications with its Civic Inspiration Award.

"We are thrilled to announce that we exceeded our goal of $1 million. The overwhelming generosity of our attendees and donors, most notably the SHS Foundation, made for a fantastic event," said Kate Lear, Chair of Ballet Hispanico's Board of Directors.

In addition to providing an exciting incentive for Gala attendees to give generously that evening, the SHS Foundation's challenge grant will leverage additional support for Ballet Hispanico in support of education and marketing initiatives. To date, $30,000 has been raised in matching funds. The SHS Foundation's generous overture was preceded by a challenge grant made in March 2012, which was critical in propelling Ballet Hispanico's marketing efforts forward. The SHS Foundation has also provided key scholarship support in years past, providing opportunities for all children, regardless of financial circumstance, to study dance at Ballet Hispanico's School of Dance.

"Ballet Hispanico's continued commitment to empower young people through immersion in Latino dance and culture aligns with our own mission," said Richard Feldman, President of the SHS Foundation. "We have followed BH's work for many years and are delighted to support its expansion throughout the city and across the country."

The festive evening featured dinner, live music from the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and performances by the Ballet Hispanico Company and students of the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance. Key attendees included Maria Elena Salinas, Event Chairs Emilio Estefan, Kate Lear, Herb Scannell and David Perez, and other friends and leaders across an array of industries.

Randy Falco is President and Chief Executive Officer of Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Prior to joining Univision in January 2011, Mr. Falco served as chairman and chief executive officer of AOL, Inc. from 2006 to 2009. Before joining AOL, Mr. Falco spent more than 30 years with NBC, most recently serving as president and chief operating officer of NBC Universal Television Group. Mr. Falco has also served as chief operating officer, NBC Olympics, for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City; the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney; the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta; and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He has won numerous Emmy Awards for these broadcasts. Mr. Falco holds an M.B.A. in finance and a bachelor's of science degree, also in finance, from Iona College. Mr. Falco sits on the board of Ronald McDonald House and the Museum of The Moving Image.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 89% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country's leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of six cable offerings - De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Distrito Comedia; UVideos, the first bilingual digital network serving Hispanic America; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company's platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive, a network of products and offerings including Univision.com, which continues to be the No. 1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

ABOUT BALLET HISPANICO

Celebrating 42 years of dance and culture, Ballet Hispanico is recognized as the nation's premier 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. The School of Dance is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance as of September 2012. The School offers over $150,000 in annual scholarships and trains more than 600 students a year, 50% of whom are Latino. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org. Follow Ballet Hispanico on Facebook and Twitter.
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