( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Ballet Hispánico Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With A La Calle Block Party
ENSPIRE Contributor: LaShonda Thompson
Ballet Hispánico will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the anticipated return of its “A La Calle Block Party.” The fourth edition of the popular community event will take place on Sunday, September 26, from noon to 4 P.M. This year’s event will be streamed for free for audiences nationwide to enjoy the festivities.
“As the nation’s largest Latinx dance organization and one of America’s cultural treasures, celebrating our Latinidad and providing Latinx and BIPOC artists and communities with a stage to show their artistry and a platform for their voices to be heard, is at the core of what we do every day,” said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. “Hispanic Heritage Month enables us to showcase our heritage with great pride, highlighting the many contributions our vibrant community and artists have made and continue to make to this country.”
As it has done in previous years, Ballet Hispánico will take over West 89th Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues), its home for 50 years. The event will include performances by the internationally renowned Company and prestigious School of Dance and Community Arts Partnerships students.
The Company will perform two numbers, a solo from Arabesque by Vicente Nebrada and an excerpt from 18+1 by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano.
Students from the School of Dance will also take to the stage and perform select numbers, including Flamenco Work and Ritmo y Ruido, from the 50th Anniversary Gala, and Salsa Work by Milteri Tucker. In addition, the newly formed Pa’lante Scholars will perform an excerpt from Bury me Standing. New to the block party this year and as part of its commitment to champion and amplify voices within its community, Ballet Hispánico will invite select Latinx dance companies from around New York City to perform as guest artists, including Bombazo Dance Company and Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and others, to be announced in the near future.
Additionally, The School of Dance will offer free dance classes at the event.
The Ballet Hispánico 2022 A La Calle Block Party is made possible by Con Edison of New York and Popular Bank. Mutual of America provides major support.
More programming will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.ballethispanico.org
Related Article: Ten Million Dollar Gift For Ballet Hispánico, Powerful Act Of Advocacy For Voices – ENSPIRE Magazine
