Ballet Hispánico Presents Instituto Coreográfico: Showcasing Mark Travis Rivera

Ballet Hispánico presents Instituto Coreográfico: Showcasing Mark Travis Rivera on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 6:30pm at Studio 10 at the Arnold Center, 167 W. 89th Street, NYC. This free event offers a peek into the process of the creation of a new work! Doors open at 6pm, with a public showing at 6:30pm. Advance reservations required here, and seating is general admission. For more information, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org/company/performances/instituto-coreografico.

The program on June 29 is a public sharing of excerpts from a work-in-progress by choreographer Mark Travis Rivera, who will explore the experiences of what it means to be seen but not truly understood. His new piece, Witness, is named after and inspired by Afro-Latina poet and singer-songwriter Amyra León’s latest album, which she described as "a look at love and loss, bliss and bloodshed. This album is my love letter to Harlem, to my spirit for insisting, to my sacred limbs for surviving, and to all that I have witnessed. I want people to listen to this and dance themselves out of captivity. I want to invite flight and peaceful reckoning. I firmly believe that we are individual universes to be navigated, and this is merely a look into mine.”

One of Ballet Hispánico’s signature programs, Instituto Coreografico has served sixteen BIPOC artists from different Latinx countries in eight years, resulting in the creation of six new works thus far. Rivera will be the first physically disabled choreographer to be a part of Instituto Coreográfico. Ballet Hispánico alumni dancer Mario Ismael Espinoza will serve as a mentor to Rivera during the week and Dr. AnaMaria Correa will moderate the evening’s discussion on June 29.

“We are delighted for the return of Instituto Coreográfico, one of our most cherished programs, and for the amazing opportunity to work with Mark Travis Rivera,” said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. “Mark is a fiercely gifted and inspiring choreographer. We look forward to sharing excerpts of his work with an audience for the first-time this month.”

“While I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the legacy of Eduardo's vision through the Instituto Coreográfico and acknowledge the historical significance of being the first physically disabled Latinx choreographer to be a part of Instituto. This milestone is only possible because of the fierce women and my father-figure who made way for me,” said Mark Travis Rivera.