Shenandoah Conservatory is hosting Ballet Hispánico for an extended residency throughout the Spring 2022 semester. For 50 years, Ballet Hispánico has been a leading voice in the arts, intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy. The company is the largest Latinx cultural organization in the country and has been designated one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation. Through innovative performances, transformative dance training and powerful community engagement, the company will bring its knowledge and talent to Winchester for a residency that celebrates and explores Latinx cultures.
The residency with Ballet Hispánico includes a variety of events and activities, including a community Latin Social Dance Class; masterclasses for conservatory students; a youth performance for elementary students; a performance by the world-renowned company; and a re-staging of one the company’s seminal works by Shenandoah Conservatory students.
Ballet Hispánico in Performance
Ballet Hispánico will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 4, in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre on Shenandoah University’s main campus. Hailed for its technical precision and artistic virtuosity on the stage, Ballet Hispánico reflects the ever-changing face of our nation with unique programs of contemporary works that explore the diversity and vibrancy of Latinx cultures. Their concert at Shenandoah includes performances of “Arabesque” by choreographer Vicente Nebrada, “Tiburones” by choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and “18+1” by choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano.
Educational & Community Engagement
In addition to masterclasses for university dance students and a special performance for students at Quarles Elementary school, the company will conduct a free Latin Social Dance Class open to all community members at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, in Ruebush Hall, Room 151 (Rehearsal Room).
Re-staging “Batucada Fantástica” by Conservatory Students
Throughout the semester, the company will also direct a re-staging of Ballet Hispánico’s beloved “Batucada Fantástica,” an electrifying work by Venezuelan choreographer Vicente Nebrada. The work is being directed by Ballet Hispánico’s Associate Artistic Director Johan Rivera and re-staged by Shenandoah Conservatory students as part of their spring performance Dancin’ Out Friday, March 25, through Sunday, March 27, in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre.
The residency has been years in the making and was originally scheduled for April 2020, but was canceled at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by a gift from Marjorie Lewis.
Chris Bloom, one of the company’s dancers, is a local from Frederick County. He danced at the Blue Ridge Studio for the Performing Arts and Vostrikov’s Academy of Ballet.
Tickets for Ballet Hispánico’s March 4 performance are $28 for general admission, $26 for senior citizens and $12 for military, students and youth. Tickets and information are available at the Shenandoah Conservatory Box Office at (540) 665-4569, located in the lobby of Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre and online at conservatoryperforms.org.
Tickets for Dancin’ Out are $15 for general admission, $13 for senior citizens and $5 for military, students and youth. Tickets and information are available at the Shenandoah Conservatory Box Office at (540) 665-4569, located in the lobby of Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre and online at conservatoryperforms.org.
Visit conservatoryperforms.org for a full calendar of events at Shenandoah Conservatory.
This engagement of Ballet Hispánico is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ballet Hispánico’s residency with the Dance Division is enabled by a gift from Marjorie Lewis.
About Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah Conservatory is home to more than 600 students enrolled in baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs in the areas of music, theatre and dance. Virginia’s oldest and premier center for performing arts training, the conservatory is led by a dynamic faculty composed of performers and scholars of national and international repute.
About Shenandoah University
Shenandoah University was established in 1875, and is headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, with additional educational sites in Clarke, Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Shenandoah is a private, nationally recognized university that blends the best of professional studies and the liberal arts. With approximately 4,000 students in more than 200 areas of study in six different schools, Shenandoah promotes a close-knit community rich in creative energy and intellectual challenge. Shenandoah students collaborate with accomplished professors who provide focused, individual attention, all the while leading several programs to be highly nationally ranked. Through innovative partnerships and programs at both the local and global level, there are exceptional opportunities for students to learn in and out of the classroom. Shenandoah empowers its students to improve the human condition and to be principled professionals and leaders wherever they go. For more information, visit su.edu.
About Ballet Hispánico
For 50 years, Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latinx cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.
National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970, at the height of the post-war civil rights movements. From its inception, Ballet Hispánico focused on providing a haven for Black and Brown Latinx youth and families seeking artistic place and cultural sanctuary. By providing the space for Latinx dance and dancers to flourish, Ballet Hispánico uplifted marginalized emerging and working artists, which combined with the training, authenticity of voice, and power of representation, fueled the organization’s roots and trajectory. In 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as its artistic director, ushering in a new era by inserting fresh energy to the company’s founding values and leading Ballet Hispánico into an artistically vibrant future. Today, Ballet Hispánico’s New York City headquarters house a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. From its grassroots origins as a dance school and community-based performing arts troupe, for 50 years Ballet Hispánico has stood as a catalyst for social change.
Photo Credits
Ballet Hispánico in “Tiburones”
Photo by Paula Lobo
