Rosie Herrera Wins 2013 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award

Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization since 1970, announces that choreographer Rosie Herrera has received a 2013-2014 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award.

Ms. Herrera participated in Ballet Hispanico's 2012 Instituto Coreográfico, where she began to develop the all-female work Show. Girl. The work uses the Cuban cabaret aesthetic to explore the Latina female identity. Ballet Hispanico will present the World Premiere performance of the piece in 2014.

The 2013 Princess Grace Awards winners represent 24 colleges, universities, and not-for-profit theater and dance companies throughout the United States. The Awards winners exemplify both classical and experimental artistic disciplines and, while still considered emerging talent, already show exceptional promise in their areas of expertise. The Foundation's support assists their theater and dance studies, helps pay their artistic fees at non-profit theater and dance companies and helps support their thesis film projects. In addition to the Awards, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA extends general operating monies to companies hosting an Awards winner.

The Foundation is awarding more than $1 million to artists in theater, dance performance, choreography and film. The Awards continue the legacy of Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, who helped emerging artists pursue their artistic goals during Her lifetime. This year's 24 Awards winners will travel to New York City, where they will receive their Awards at the 31st annual Princess Grace Awards Gala, held in the presence of HSH The Princess of Monaco, on October 30, 2013 at Cipriani 42nd Street.

"We are thrilled to have Rosie's work honored with a Princess Grace Award," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico. "Her choreography is inspired and inspiring. We are grateful to have her accomplishments recognized by this tremendous organization."

PGF-USA Executive Director Toby Boshak commented, "The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is delighted to support the collaboration between Rosie Herrera and Ballet Hispanico. The artistic panel was truly impressed by Herrera's description of the proposed work, Show. Girl. and both the creative and personal explorations she will pursue within the piece."

Rosie Herrera is a graduate from New World School with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has been commissioned by The Miami Light Project in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing and the American Dance Festival. As a rehearsal director, co- choreographer and performer Rosie was in residency at the Chat Noir Cabaret in Miami Beach with the interdisciplinary performance ensemble Circ X. In 2009 she was in residency at the American Dance Festival recreating her work "Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret" on ADF dancers. Subsequently her company was presented at the festival in 2010 and 2011 where she premiered the ADF commissioned works: "Pity Party" and "Dining Alone" to sold out audiences. Rosie is a classically trained lyric coloratura soprano and performs with the Performers Music Institute Opera Ensemble as well as choreographs and stages operas independently throughout Miami. She has also collaborated on productions with The South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, New World School of the Arts, Six Floor Ensemble Zoetic Stage and with theater artist Rudi Goblen as well as filmmakers Adam Reign and Lucas Leyva. Rosie is a 2010 MANCC choreographic fellow and a 2011 Miami Dance Fellow. Recently, Rosie is returning from her company's NYC premiere at the Joyce Theater as part of Focus Dance and a successful sold out run of Dining Alone at the Baryshnicov Arts Center. She will be in residency this summer creating a new work at the American Dance Festival. This is the third Princes Grace Award received in conjunction with Ballet Hispanico. In 2012, Jamal Rashann Callender received a Princess Grace Dance Fellowship and in 2009, Andrea Miller received a Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship. She created the work Nací on Ballet Hispanico, which is now a part of the company's regular repertory.

For more information about the Princess Grace Awards program, please visit www.pgfusa.org.

Photo via Herrera's Official Website