Ballet Hispanico

Last seen at the Kennedy Center in 2007, Ballet Hispanico returns with a dazzling mixed repertory program to include the D.C. premiere of ‘Sortijas’ by Cayetano Soto.

New York–based Ballet Hispanico explores, preserves, and celebrates Latino cultures through dance. Last seen in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall in 2007, Ballet Hispanico is now under the guiding hand of Cuban American dancer and choreographer Eduardo Vilaro. A former Ballet Hispanico dancer, Vilaro was named Artistic Director in 2009 after a successful 10-year term as Founder and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago.

For its Kennedy Center mixed repertory program, the company brings Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato’s Jardí Tancat, the D.C. premiere of Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto’s Sortijas (Rings), Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s new work Sombrerísimo, and Eduardo Vilaro’s Danzón with live music by Paquito D’Rivera. 

Duato’s very first work, Jardí Tancat is based on Catalonian folk tales sung by Maria del Mar Bonet. With equal shades of passion and melancholy, the ballet evokes the despairing yet hopeful prayers of Spaniards who wait for rain on their barren land.

Soto’s Sortijas is an exciting duet that celebrates Latino tradition by representing the circular ties of family and friends that link communities together over generations. The piece is set to music by American-born singer and songwriter Lhasa de Sela.

In Sombrerísimo, an athletic tour de force for six men full of rhythmic agility and stylistic flair, Lopez Ochoa disassembles and reassembles the coded rituals and rhythms until they spark insight and laughter (Financial Times).

Initially evolved from Haitian contradance, the Danzón has been called the official dance of Cuba. Eduardo Vilaro has taken this traditional and quintessentially Cuban dance form and reinvented it with contemporary language to construct a joyous celebration of music and movement.

Program

• Jardí Tancat, choreography by Nacho Duato.
• Sortijas (Rings), choreography by Cayetano Soto.
• Sombrerísimo, choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
• Danzón, choreography by Eduardo Vilaro. Live Music by Paquito D’rivera.

Buy tickets online. On December 5, join a free post-performance discussion with a moderator and members of the company.