Ballet Hispánico Announces 50th Celebration Virtual Premiere

Ballet Hispánico has announced its highly-anticipated 50th Celebration commemorating half a century of dance, orgullo, education, sabor, access, amor, community, espíritu, and innovation-a love poem to one of America's Cultural Treasures. The 50th Celebration free virtual public premiere will be held on Friday, May 28 at 6:30pm ET. A spectacular event hosted by Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro and School of Dance students Chelsea Phillips and Theo Adarkar,the evening will feature performances by the Ballet Hispánico Company and student artists at the School of Dance with premieres by Lauren Anderson, Ana "Rokafella" Garcia, and Belén Maya; performances of works by Graciela Daniele, Ann Reinking, Geoffrey Holder, Nacho Duato, Pedro Ruiz, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano; and appearances by celebrity guests including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis Miranda, Rosie Perez, Lauren Anderson, Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, and Darren Walker.

"We are honored to be joined by such an amazing group of artists and supporters to commemorate the legacy and future of Ballet Hispánco," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO. "The past year has been a challenging time for everyone, and we look forward to this opportunity to gather with our beloved community virtually and safely to perform for you, to honor our roots, and celebrate our heritage and growth."

The 50th Celebration will be available for two weeks on YouTube, Facebook, and ballethispanico.org. To receive exciting announcements, special content, and reminders for the Public Premiere of this celebratory event, register for free at ballethispanico.org/50th-celebration/registration. There will also be a virtual private screening on Thursday, May 27, at 6:30pm ET that includes a live post-performance conversation with special guests. Join the celebration, make a toast with the virtual audience, and ask questions live during the post-performance conversation. Tickets for the private event begin at $150 and are available at ballethispanico.org. For more information, please contact Ellie Craven at ecraven@ballethispanico.org. This year's Executive Producers are Jody and John Arnhold, Richard E. Feldman, Kate Lear and Jonathan LaPook.

ABOUT EDUARDO VILARO

Eduardo Vilaro is the Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. A Ballet Hispánico (BH) dancer and educator from 1988 to 1996, he left New York, earned a master's in interdisciplinary arts at Columbia College Chicago, then embarked on his own act of advocacy with a ten-year record of achievement as Founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. Mr. Vilaro was named BH's Artistic Director in 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since its founding in 1970, and in 2015 was also named Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Vilaro has infused Ballet Hispánico's legacy with a bold brand of contemporary dance that reflects America's changing cultural landscape. Born in Cuba and raised in New York from the age of six, he is a frequent speaker on the merits of the intersectionality of cultures and the importance of nurturing and building Latinx leaders. Mr. Vilaro's own choreography is devoted to capturing the Latin American experience in its totality and diversity, and through its intersectionality with other diasporas. His works are catalysts for new dialogues about what it means to be an American. He has created more than 40 ballets with commissions that include the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival, the Lexington Ballet and the Chicago Symphony. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Mr. Vilaro received the Ruth Page Award for choreography in 2001; was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2016; and was awarded HOMBRE Magazine's 2017 Arts & Culture Trailblazer of the Year. In 2019, he received the West Side Spirit's WESTY Award, was honored by WNET for his contributions to the arts and was the recipient of the James W. Dodge Foreign Language Advocate Award. In August 2020, City & State Magazine included Mr. Vilaro in the inaugural Power of Diversity: Latin 100 list. In January 2021, Mr. Vilaro was recognized with a Compassionate Leaders Award, given to leaders who are courageous, contemplative, collaborative, and care about the world they will leave behind. He is a well-respected speaker on such topics as diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts.