LONDON: The CEO of Ballet Hispanico of New York, which performed its Arab world debut at the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi auditorium on Friday, said he was pleased with how well attended the event was, Emirates News Agency, or WAM, reported on Monday.
The ballet company delivered a performance celebrating the fusion of diversity, heritage, and Hispanic culture.
Ballet Hispanico, founded in 1970 by dancer and educator Tina Ramirez in New York, was established to provide opportunities for Latino youth and artists at a time when access to the arts was limited for the community.
Its CEO Eduardo Vilaro told WAM that the auditorium saw 90 percent attendance over the two-day program.
Vilaro said the audience enjoyed a “contemporary show that celebrated the different Latin cultures, with different types of dance movements like classical ballet, jazz and modern forms to create a distinctive movement vocabulary.”
The program began with Pedro Rodriguez’s “Club Havana,” an homage to Cuban culture with West African influences.
Through the Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Rhumba, and big band music, the story of six couples visiting a club transported the audience to 1950s Cuba.
The performance continued with “Sombrerisimo” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a mysterious and playful work exploring the cultural significance of a hat.
The finale, “18+1,” was an exhilarating ballet set to the music of Perez Prado, the renowned Mexican orchestra leader. Choreographed by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, it presented the vibrant rhythms of Latin America with a dance infused with humor.
Vilaro said the company’s success lies in its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism, highlighting the importance of embracing different perspectives and ideas.
“As Latinos, we are a fusion of cultures such as African, Spanish, Asian, and others, which gives us a unique perspective celebrating all parts of those diasporas,” he said.
He added that multiculturalism is “important because it teaches us how to be better humans, it is the gateway to unity; if we can be good neighbors in a city, then we should be good neighbors in the world.”
The Abu Dhabi performance was attended by ambassadors from the US, Costa Rica, Spain, and France, along with other diplomats and officials.
