BETWEEN TWO HEARTBEATS to Premiere at Accent Dance NYC's Seen Gala
The gala at the Ailey Citigroup Theater will include a reception, live music, and an accessible dance party.
Internationally acclaimed ballerina Ingrid Silva, a longtime champion for equity in dance, will present the world premiere of her new work at the annual gala for Accent Dance NYC, a non-profit organization dedicated to arts education and concert dance performance.
Silva has dedicated her career to expanding representation and opportunity in dance, work that mirrors Accent Dance NYC's mission to expand access to dance while building confidence and creativity in young people across New York City. In addition to premiering her new work at the
“Seen” gala, Silva will take the stage as a featured speaker, sharing her journey and why programs like Accent Dance NYC need wider support.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Silva spent nearly two decades as a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem before retiring this year. For most of that time, she hand-painted her pointe shoes to match her own skin tone, a practice known as 'pancaking,' since they traditionally came in only one shade, a cost in time and money many dancers of color have quietly carried. In 2017, she became the first Afro-Brazilian dancer on the cover of Pointe Magazine, bringing further visibility to the cause and helping to push major manufacturers to expand their skin-tone offerings. Her hand-painted shoes now sit in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Her latest work, Between Two Heartbeats, explores what it means to exist between two places, two cultures, and two rhythms while discovering that belonging does not require leaving one part of yourself behind. Inspired by Silva's own journey from Brazil to New York, the work explores memory, adaptation, identity, and the communities we create along the way. Commissioned through Accent Dance NYC's NEXT program, the piece is set to an original score by longtime collaborator Leandro Albuquerque and features ten dancers from the Accent Dance NYC company, bringing together contemporary ballet, modern-contemporary movement, and the rhythm and energy of Brazilian funk.
"We are thrilled to commission this new piece from Ingrid, whose work embodies everything Accent Dance NYC stands for," said Andrea Ziegelman, Founder and Executive and Artistic Director of Accent Dance NYC. "Her commitment to access, equity, and the transformative power of the arts is exactly what we're celebrating and what we hope to keep building on in the years ahead."
"My work has always been about making sure people see themselves, their own culture, their own stories, on the stage," Silva said. “Working with Accent Dance NYC, an organization built entirely around that idea, felt like the perfect home for this work."
The gala will also feature performances:
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Libertango, choreographed by Analia Carreño and Luis Ramirez, is set to Astor Piazzolla's composition of the same name. Piazzolla wrote the piece as a declaration of artistic freedom, breaking from tango's traditional rules and blending it with jazz into what became known as nuevo tango. The title fuses libertad, Spanish for liberty, with tango itself, a nod to that rebellion.
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So Proudly We Hail, choreographed by Bessie Award winner Pedro Ruiz, whose work The New York Times has praised as "an explosion of sleek and sensuous pure dance," celebrates American culture and the immigrant experience. It was originally created for the New Jersey Ballet with the West Point Band at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
After the performances, guests are invited to a gala reception with cocktails, live music, and an accessible dance party led by Accent Dance NYC's teaching artists. Tickets for the full evening, including the reception, start at $250 here. A limited number of $50 tickets, covering performances and remarks only, are available for artists, seniors, and others for whom the full price is out of reach; email andrea@accent.dance to request one.
Proceeds from the gala fund Accent Dance NYC's dance residencies, educational performances, and new commissions from emerging choreographers. Since 2018, the organization has reached more than 45,000 students and audience members, including over 10,000 this past school year, more than double the prior year. Programming spans styles including flamenco, West African dance, and hip hop, with high school residencies exploring immigration, climate change, and self-discovery. In one survey, 92% of students said they felt more confident dancing, and 71% said the program deepened their interest in their own culture. That same commitment carries onto the stage: the concert dance company commissions new work from emerging and established choreographers and partners with cultural institutions citywide to mark Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Month.
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