Ballet Hispánico School of Dance announces that registration is now open for its 2022-23 school year programs for dancers from early childhood through youth. The registration deadline is September 1, 2022. For more information and to register, visit ballethispanico.org/school.
The Ballet Hispánico dance school is the direct link to the organization’s values of access, opportunity and pride for all students interested in dance and Latin culture. The school is an accredited training center that leads with a holistic curriculum for today’s young ballerina.
Los Pasitos: Early Childhood Program (ages 2-5)
The Los Pasitos Early Childhood Program is for ages 2-5, bringing together creativity, culture and technique. Its curriculum focuses on the development of coordination, spatial awareness and musicality, with an emphasis on each child’s individual self-expression. Students learn proper dance etiquette, explore the broad spectrum of Latino cultures, and build a solid foundation for dance training in a joyful and creative environment.
Meetings: Open Class Program (ages 6-18)
Offering the young dance enthusiast cultural enrichment along with excellent dance training, the Encuentros Program offers something for everyone. Developed with the highest level of artistic excellence, our program supports interested dancers to attend anywhere from one to several dance classes per week. Offering a wide range of classes including Ballet, Flamenco, Hip-Hop, Latin Rhythms, Afro-Caribbean, Salsa, Jazz and Tap, our students can create a schedule tailored to suit their needs.
La Academia: Pre-Professional Program (Age 7-23)
The school’s pre-professional division, La Academia, trains eclectic and versatile dancers who stand out in a competitive dance field for their mastery of classical ballet tradition, contemporary techniques, Spanish dance and performance skills. This program is designed to support students interested in attending performing arts schools, conservatory/university programs, and/or those pursuing a career in dance. High school and college students who reach Level 5 at La Academia have the option of following the full curriculum or one of three specialized tracks – ballet, Spanish or contemporary dance.
Ballet Hispánico has been a leading voice combining artistic excellence and advocacy and is now the largest Latino cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and lasting community engagement experiences. National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez founded the Ballet Hispánico in 1970, at the height of the postwar civil rights movements. Since its inception, Ballet Hispánico has focused on providing a haven for black and brown Latino youth and families seeking an artistic venue and cultural sanctuary. Providing the space for the flourishing of Latin dance and dancers, Ballet Hispánico raised marginalized artists in development and work, which combined with training, originality of voice and power of representation, fueled the organization’s roots and trajectory. In 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as Artistic Director, ushering in a new era by injecting fresh energy into the company’s founding values and leading Ballet Hispánico into a vibrant artistic future. Today, the headquarters of Balet Hispánico in New York City houses a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. From its grassroots origins as a community-based dance school and performing arts troupe, for fifty years the Ballet Hispánico has stood as a catalyst for social change. Ballet Hispánico provides the physical home and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. Ballet Hispánico has developed a strong public presence in its three main programs: its Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships. Through its exemplary craftsmanship, distinguished training program, and rooted community engagement efforts, Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies underrepresented voices in the field. For fifty years the Hispánico Ballet has secured a place of honor for the neglected, neglected and oppressed. As it looks to the next fifty years and beyond, Ballet Hispánico seeks to empower and give agency to the Latino experience and those individuals within it.
