Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s premier Latino dance organization, returns to the Apollo stage on Friday and Saturday, November 22 and 23, 2019 at 8:00pm with a program that continues its commitment to staging works by female, Latin choreographers.

Tiburones

In the World Premiere of Tiburones, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa addresses the discrimination and stereotypes placed upon Latinx culture and the power the media has in portraying these themes by diminishing the voices of Latinx artists. Ochoa will deconstruct gender roles and identity to revitalize an authentic perspective of Puerto Rican icons appropriated within the entertainment industry.

Nací

In this restaging of Nací (2009), choreographer Andrea Miller draws from the duality of her Spanish and Jewish-American background and employs her distinctive movement style to investigate the Sephardic culture of Spain, with its Moorish influence and profound sense of community, despite hardship.

Con Brazos Abiertos

Con Brazos Abiertos (2017) is a fun and frank look at life caught between two cultures. Michelle Manzanales utilizes iconic Mexican symbols that she was reluctant to embrace as a Mexican-American child growing up in Texas, to speak to the immigrant experience. Intertwining folkloric representations with humor and music that ranges from Julio Iglesias to Rock en Español, the work brings life to a Latino dilemma.

“We are thrilled to bring the World Premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Tiburones to the Apollo Theater. Ballet Hispánico is dedicated to providing arts programming that is accessible to community members of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds and we are grateful for this continued partnership with the Apollo, allowing us another opportunity to elevate the voices of Latinx and female artists,”said Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro.

“Our collaboration with Ballet Hispánico not only speaks to the importance of presenting such vital works in Harlem, but also speaks to the Apollo’s mission of continuing to create a 21st century performing arts canon. We want to not only commission and present a myriad of new multidisciplinary works, but also continue being a home for cultural innovators such as Ballet Hispánico,” said Kamilah Forbes, Apollo Theater Executive Producer.

Tickets begin at $13.50 and are available by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at https://www.apollotheater.org/event/ballet-hispanico-4/2019-11-22/.

For more information, visit ballethispanico.org.

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has been choreographing since 2003 following a twelve-year dance career in various contemporary dance companies throughout Europe. She has created works on sixty companies worldwide including Ballet Hispánico, Cincinnati Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Dutch National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Göteborg Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, BJM-Danse Montréal, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, to name a few. In 2012, her first full length work, A Streetcar Named Desire, originally created for Scottish Ballet, received the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for “Best Classical Choreography” and was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production the following year. Annabelle is the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award 2019

Andrea Miller is Artistic Director and choreographer of Brooklyn-based company, Gallim, and has established herself as a perpetually groundbreaking artist. A sought-after creator and collaborator in dance, art, film, theater, tech, and fashion, Miller was named 2017/2018 Artist in Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in October 2018, she was featured in Forbes as a female entrepreneur and leader in the dance world. Her highly acclaimed works are performed by Gallim as well as other leading dance companies around the world. Her work has been shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frieze Festival, Art Basel, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, BAM Next Wave, The Joyce, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others. Miller’s educational programming is run from Gallim’s Brooklyn home studio and has been brought to universities and educational centers across the US.

Michelle Manzanales is a choreographer and dance educator originally from Houston, TX. Michelle is the Director of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance, but lends her artistic voice to all facets of the organization. She began working with Eduardo Vilaro, in 2003 as a dancer for his company Luna Negra Dance Theater of Chicago where she also served as Rehearsal Director in 2006 and as Interim Artistic Director from 2009-2010. Ms. Manzanales has created works for professional dance companies, universities, and schools across the nation including a commission for Ballet Hispánico’s main Company for their 2017 season at The Joyce Theater. Her 2010 homage to Frida Kahlo, Paloma Querida, and 2007 piece, Sugar in the Raw (Azucar Cruda) have been praised by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times. “This dance isn’t just about one girl’s experience; it applies to everyone, of any gender, and of any culture,” said CriticalDance of Manzanales’ Con Brazos Abiertos (2017).

About Ballet Hispánico

Ballet Hispánico, America’s leading Latino dance organization, has been bringing individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance for nearly 50 years. Whether dancing on stage, in school, or in the street, Ballet Hispánico creates a space where few institutions are breaking ground.

The organization’s founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today, Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company whose vision of social equity, cultural identity, and quality arts education for all drives its programs.

Ballet Hispánico, a role model in and for the Latino community, is inspiring creativity and social awareness in our neighborhoods and across the country by providing access to arts education.