Ballet Hispánico's B Unidos Video Series Continues Into July with Watch Parties, Q&A Sessions and More

Ballet Hispánico will continue B Unidos, its video series, with Watch Parties in June and July 2020, available at www.facebook.com/ballethispanico, https://www.ballethispanico.org/bunidos/watch-party, or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeBVCPHnWSLKF4c53fAqDRw/.

Enjoy a Company performance from the comfort of your own home, followed by live Q&A sessions with Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico Eduardo Vilaro, choreographers and Company dancers:

Wed June 24 at 7pm: Sombrerísimo

Tue June 30 at 7:30pm: Noche Unidos, a night of dance and unity

Wed July 8 at 7pm: El Viaje

"As a community of dancers, artists, and human beings, we are all in this together. We will persevere through this challenging time and we hope that these videos provide a coping outlet, for you, for our followers and the community overall," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico.

Sombrerísimo (2013)

Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Music by Banda Ionica featuring Macaco el Mono Loco, Titi Robin, and soundscape by various artists

Costume Design by Diana Ruettiger

Lighting Design by Joshua Preston

Inspired by the surrealist world of Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats, Sombrerísimo references the iconic sombreros (hats) found throughout the world that help to represent culture. Originally choreographed for an all-male cast, Sombrerísimo has evolved into a work that can also be performed by an all-female or mixed-gender cast.

Sombrerísimo was commissioned by New York City Center for the Fall for Dance Festival.

World Premiere: September 20, 2013 at New York City Center

Noche Unidos

A Night of Dance and Unity

Hosted by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO

World Premieres By Ten Prominent Choreographers

Appearances include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, and other Latinx artists

The evening includes ten virtual world premiere performances featuring Ballet Hispánico Company dancers, new works created remotely in the past weeks by world renowned choreographers, celebrity appearances including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, and other Latinx artists. A highlight of the eveinng will be performances by Ballet Hispánico School of Dance students Julienne Buenaventura and Ruby Castillo, Nuestro Futuro scholarship recipients in BH's La Academia program. The pre-recorded show will include new works set remotely on our dancers by ten prominentchoreographers. The choreographers are social distancing in locations around the world, and our dancers are across the country, yet the beauty of dance transcends the distance between them.

El Viaje (2019)

Choreography by Edwaard Liang

Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Costume Design by Danielle Truss

Lighting Design by Joshua Paul Weckesser

Liang evokes emotion through moving sound and lush movement to exemplify how many individuals feel when one leaves one's homeland or country of birth to seek a new life, including moments of remembering, sharing, and letting go. He particularly focuses on the Chinese mass emigration from the nineteenth century to 1949 and the Chinese-Cuban diaspora to explore identity and the ghosts of a former life.

World Premiere: March 26, 2019 at The Joyce Theater

# B Unidos

The Instagram series features videos created by the three arms of the Ballet Hispánico: the professional company, the School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnership (CAP) and featuring the hashtag #BUnidos at www.instagram.com/ballethispanico/.

"As a community of dancers, artists, and human beings, we are all in this together. We will persevere through this challenging time and we hope that these videos provide a coping outlet, for you, for our followers and the community overall," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. "Now more than ever, it is important to band together in support of the arts. The personal and professional challenges that we have already endured and will continue to face over the next few weeks or months are significant. What we can take from this time of cancellations, uncertainty and social distancing is a chance to use our creativity to connect with the community on a new level. Social distancing does not mean emotional distancing. Ballet Hispánico was founded upon and has always believed in the importance of reaching and servicing our community through dance and culture. As this pandemic occurs during our 50th Anniversary, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, get back to our roots by reaching out to community near and far, and look forward to what is ahead."