Ballet Hispanico Artistic Director Tina Ramirez has never been short
on imagination. Witness her unlikely pairing of choreographer Peter
Pucci, an alumnus of the all-American Pilobolus, with Ballet Hispanico,
a trailblazer in Latin culture. The result, “Eternamente y
Un Día” (Forever and A Day), charted new directions
for each. The dance, a New York premiere, as well as a series of
past hits will be part of Ballet Hispanico’s return engagement
at The Joyce Theater, November 30–December 12.
“Eternamente y Un Día”
celebrates the colorful sweep of Mexican history, its culture and
landscape. Filled with telling moments and revealing detail, this
kaleidoscopic work presents glimpses of Mayan and Aztec sacred rituals,
animal imagery, traditional celebrations and the moving solemnity
of a funeral all united through traditional Mexican folk songs arranged
and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The dance received its world
premiere as part of the opening celebration of the Richard B. Fisher
Center at Bard College in May 2003.
Ramón Oller’s “Bury
Me Standing” embodies the powerful soul of the gypsy spirit,
the cultures and traditions that affected the development of its
character over the centuries—its sorrows, joys, defiance of
oppression and unique communal pride. Oller titled the dance after
Isabel Fonseca’s book of the same name, which had been in
turn inspired by a remark made to her by a gypsy: “Bury me
standing. I’ve spent my whole life on my knees.” The
dance, which has been reworked for its present cast, is aptly set
to traditional gypsy melodies, Spanish and European folk songs.
The season’s other program features last year’s riveting
hit, “NightClub,” a three-part evening of vibrant Latin
music and dance choreographed by Graciela Daniele, Alexandre Magno
and Sergio Trujillo. It is a dance crowded with vivid characters
whose sleekly energetic performances tell three distinct tales that
travel along the shifting timeline of 20th century dance.
Founded by Artistic Director Tina
Ramirez in 1970, Ballet Hispanico has commissioned over 70 works,
fusing contemporary American dance with Hispanic culture. It has
forged a reputation as a world-class company, performing for over
two million people in major venues throughout the United States,
South America and Europe, where it has presented major works by
distinguished choreographers including Tony Award winners Ann Reinking
and George Faison, as well as Alberto Alonso, Talley Beatty and
Graciela Daniele. Ballet Hispanico has become recognized as a leader
in arts education through “Primeros Pasos,” its nationwide
public school program reaching over 25,000 students each year, as
well as with its own award-winning school.
For her contributions to Latin culture
in the United States, Ramirez was awarded the prestigious Hispanic
Heritage Award for Education at The Kennedy Center in 1999. She
is also the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2002 Dance
Magazine Award and the Governor’s Arts Award, among others.
In 2004, AARP Magazine named Ramirez one of its top ten People of
the Year.
Prior to its Joyce engagement, Ballet
Hispanico performed at the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy
(July 3–19); the Delacorte Theatre in New York, NY (August
26); Rhode Island College in Providence, RI (September 21); Bryn
Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, PA (September 23); as part of the City
Center “Fall for Dance Festival” (September 30); and
most recently at the Staller Center in Stony Brook, NY (October
23). Following the Joyce performances, the company will perform
at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC (April 4–8); in Sarasota,
FL (April 11); Gainesville, FL (April 13); Lake Worth, FL (April
15-16); Memphis, TN (April 21–22); New Haven, CT; and at Aaron
Davis Hall in New York, NY (May 23–June 2).
The opening night curtain at The
Joyce Theater is at 7:30pm. All other evening curtains, Tuesdays
through Saturdays are at 8pm; Sunday evening curtains are at 7:30pm.
There will also be 2pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets
are $42 and are available at the box office, online at www.joyce.org
or by calling 212-242-0800. The Joyce Theater is located at 175
Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.
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MetLife Foundation is the proud
sponsor of Ballet Hispanico's 2004/05 National Tour. Ballet Hispanico's
New York Season is sponsored by The Harkness Foundation for Dance.
Additional support has been provided by public funds from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and
the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
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