The Sarasota Ballet Presents Ballet Hispanico, America's Premiere Latino Dance Organization

Ballet Hispánico to perform three works by female Latino choreographers at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 23 - 25 February 2018. Sarasota, FL (January 30, 2018) - The Sarasota Ballet presents Ballet Hispánico, 23 - 25 February 2018 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, featuring three works: Michelle Manzanales' Con Brazos Abiertos, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Linea Recta and Tania Pérez-Salas' Catorce Dieciséis. This international touring company will arrive in Sarasota following performances in Germany and Norway and will head to Scotland following their Sarasota run.

Ballet Hispánico has been America's premier Latino dance organization for more than 45 years, bringing communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures and the shared human experience through dance. Ballet Hispánico has been led since 2009 by Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro, who has infused the organization's legacy with a bold and eclectic brand of contemporary dance that reflects America's changing cultural landscape. Through performances of its internationally-acclaimed Company, innovative dance training programs, and community education activities that inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds, Ballet Hispánico brings the joy of dance and Hispanic culture to the world.

"Ballet Hispánico's vibrant and stellar performances will thrill our community, while their unique perspective on dance will expand our audiences' understanding and appreciation of the art form," explains Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. "I am especially excited by this triple bill of innovative works by three powerful and talented female choreographers."

This Manhattan-based company explores the diversity of Latino culture through a fusion of Classical, Latin, and Contemporary dance powered by theatricality, athleticism and passion. "Ballet Hispanico shows what it is to be Latino in the modern world" - Financial Times.

The Sarasota Ballet's presentation of Ballet Hispánico is sponsored by iHeartRadio.

Performance Schedule and Ticket Information
23 - 25 February 2018
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

Friday, 23 February 2018 at 7:30pm
Saturday, 24 February 2018 at 2:00pm
Saturday, 24 February 2018 at 7:30pm
Sunday, 25 February 2018 at 2:00pm
Sunday, 25 February 2018 at 7:30pm

Individual tickets for Ballet Hispánico, starting at $30, are on sale now at www.SarasotaBallet.org or by calling 941.359.0099.

Since 1990, the mission of The Sarasota Ballet has been enriching lives, captivating emotions and strengthening the community through the art of dance. Under the leadership of Director Iain Webb, Executive Director Joseph Volpe and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, The Sarasota Ballet has received national and international recognition for its diverse repertoire of rarely performed ballets, as well as the integrity and artistry of its performances. The Company's expanded repertoire includes works by world-renowned choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Matthew Bourne, Dame Ninette de Valois, Michel Fokine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor and Christopher Wheeldon. In the last five years, The Sarasota Ballet has been invited to perform twice at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and twice at the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, as well as week-long residencies at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and The Joyce Theater in New York. In May 2017 The Sarasota Ballet performed at the inaugural National Choreographic Festival in Salt Lake City.

Ballet Hispánico, the premier Latino dance organization in the United States, brings individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance. 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.

Eduardo Vilaro joined Ballet Hispánico as Artistic Director in August 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since it was founded in 1970. In 2015, Mr. Vilaro took on the additional role of Chief Executive Officer of Ballet Hispánico. He has been part of the Ballet Hispánico family since 1985 as a dancer and educator, after which he began a ten-year record of achievement as founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. Mr. Vilaro has infused Ballet Hispánico's legacy with a bold and eclectic 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 cultural diversity and dance education.

Mr. Vilaro's own choreography is devoted to capturing the spiritual, sensual and historical essence of the Latino cultures. He created over 20 ballets for Luna Negra and has received commissions from the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival, the Lexington Ballet and the Chicago Symphony. In 2001, he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award for choreography, and in 2003, he was honored for his choreographic work at Panama's II International Festival of Ballet. In 2016, he was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. Mr. Vilaro was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2016 and was awarded HOMBRE Magazine's 2017 Arts & Culture Trailblazer of the Year.

Photo Credit: Paula Lobo

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