Trace repertory legacy of Ballet Hispanico with free event starting March 17

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In a 2018 performance at Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium, Ballet Hispánico focused on dances by Latina choreographers. Now, in “50 Year Legacy Experience,” Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro guides viewers on a journey through his company’s past, present and future.

The free online event will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, and will be available to stream until 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24. The center’s debut of the recorded program will be followed by a live conversation with Vilaro moderated by Audience and Program Development Director Amy Dupain Vashaw.

Visit Ballet Hispánico for more information.

Contributions from the members of the Center for the Performing Arts and a grant from the University Park Student Fee Board help make the program free of charge.

The program is part of the center’s “Up Close and Virtual” 2020–21 season.

From the literal and metaphorical burning of New York City in the 1970s through the company’s 50th anniversary celebration, the event showcases some of dance’s most influential, innovative and inspiring artists. Vilaro narrates the video, which showcases beautiful and engaging Latinx repertories.

Founded in 1970 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan by Tina Ramirez, Ballet Hispánico has become a catalyst for bringing communities together to celebrate and explore Latinx cultures from around the world. The company, representing a number of nationalities, brings to the stage training in modern and classical dance plus ballet.

“Ballet Hispánico is the cultural connector for anyone interested in discovering more about our Latino human experience,” Vilaro said in a 2018 Center for the Performing Arts interview. “The work is drenched in the diasporas, history and essences of who we are in the world today.”

Geisinger and Northwest provide support for virtual presentations by the Center for the Performing Arts.

Visit “Up Close and Virtual” for information about forthcoming season events.

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