Ballet Hispánico will host The Quinceañera Gala Performance and Dinner on Thursday April 25th. The event will honor Oscar Munoz, Former CEO & Chairman, United Airlines, with the Nuestra Inspiración Award—presented by Marcos Torres, Senior Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets and Ballet Hispánico Board Member. It also celebrates Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th season as Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico, with remarks by Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation.

The Ballet Hispánico Gala Dinner is a beloved New York event attended by some 500 leaders in the arts and business communities and is truly a spectacular evening filled with performances by the students from its School of Dance and, of course, live music by three-time Grammy Award Winner, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, that entices guests to take to the dance floor.

The critical funds raised at the Gala provide dance training scholarships that change the lives of young people, inspiring performances by the professional Company, and immersive dance programs in communities across the United States and worldwide.
Tickets for the April 25 Gala Performance may be paired with a reservation for the Quinceañera Gala at The Plaza Hotel in tribute to Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th anniversary as Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico.
The evening begins at 5:30pm with a red carpet and cocktail hour, followed by a reception and the opening night performance of the Company’s annual season at New York City Center. The festivities continue with a presentation of awards during a seated dinner at The Plaza Hotel.

“Leading this company continues to be the honor of my life. Fifteen years is quite a milestone; I’m humbled,” said Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO. “I look forward to celebrating at City Center with several exciting pieces, including the World Premiere of my new work Buscando a Juan, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter.”

Gala Performance Program: Recuerdo de Campo Amor by Talley Beatty; Con Brazos Abiertos (excerpts) by Michelle Manzanales; Doña Perón (excerpt) by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa featuring guest artist Herman Cornejo, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer; Pas de O’ Farrill, duet by Pedro Ruiz; Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro.

Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s largest Latino dance organization recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, continues its 2023/24 season. A Company that “compels audiences to think differently and lean into an unseen, unimaginable cultural vibrancy” (Broadway World), Ballet Hispánico amplifies Latin artists and cultures through innovative contemporary works.

In honor of Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th season as Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico, the program (Fri, Sat, Sun) will feature the World Premiere of Buscando a Juan. Vilaro’s new work, inspired by The Met’s exhibition of Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter, is a layered and immersive piece inspired by the life of Juan de Pareja, the Afro-Hispanic painter who was enslaved in Spanish painter Diego Velázquez‘s studio for over two decades before becoming an artist in his own right.

The work is a thought-provoking homage to the nuanced dance of shared vulnerability and intimate collaboration among artists that redefines the boundaries of individual creativity, beckoning us to question the very essence of artistic identity. In House of Mademoiselle, internationally acclaimed choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa takes us on a wild romp through a campy world that explores iconic female representations found in Latin American culture. From femme fatales to the delicate language of fans, boas and Latin dance, the work highlights how the culture is enamored and obsessed with the iconic high-octane female stars of past and present; and 18+1, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s celebration of the vulnerability, care, and hope that comes with each artistic endeavor.
Tickets start at $45 ($20 for the En Familia Matinee) and are available here.

Ballet Hispánico 2024 Gala Performance (6:30pm) and Dinner
Tickets for the April 25 Gala Performance may be paired with a reservation for the Quinceañera Gala at the Plaza Hotel in tribute to Eduardo Vilaro’s 15^th anniversary as Artistic Director & CEO. For more information visit www.ballethispanico.org/support/events/2024-gala.

Gala Performance Program: Recuerdo de Campo Amor by Talley Beatty; Con Brazos Abiertos (excerpts) by Michelle Manzanales; Doña Perón (excerpt) by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; Pas de O’ Farrill, duet by Pedro Ruiz; Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro.

Ballet Hispánico 2024 En Familia Matinee
The En Familia Matinee offers a journey through Latin American culture and traditions as Vilaro leads the audience on an interactive and fun-filled afternoon featuring excerpts of classic pieces from the Company’s repertory: a re-staging of Talley Beatty’s electrifying Recuerdo de Campo Amor, the ever-popular Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Geoffrey Holder’s Caribbean-influenced Danse Creole, and the Latin social dance extravaganza Club Havana by Pedro Ruiz. Made possible thanks to the generosity of the RBC Foundation USA, the charitable arm of RBC Capital Markets, and New York City Center, all tickets for En Familia Matinee are $20 and can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org ($3 facility fee and $2 reduced handling fee), by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office ($3 facility fee).

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Thursday, April 25th at 6:30pm – Gala Performance

Recuerdo de Campo Amor by Talley Beatty

Con Brazos Abiertos (excerpts) by Michelle Manzanales

Doña Perón (excerpt) by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Pas de O’ Farrill duet by Pedro Ruiz

Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro

Friday, April 26th at 7:30pm

House of Mad’moiselle by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro

18+1 by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano

Saturday, April 27th at 2:00pm – En Familia Matinee

Recuerdo de Campo Amor by Talley Beatty

Danse Creole (excerpt), duet by Geoffrey Holder

Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Club Havana (excerpts) by Pedro Ruiz

Saturday, April 27th at 7:30pm

House of Mad’moiselle by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro

18+1 by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano

Sunday, April 28th at 2:00pm

House of Mad’moiselle by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro

18+1 by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano