by Cris Franco
On Thursday, 1 June 2023, New York’s City Center will sparkle with the yearly, red-carpet gala for the nation’s largest Latinx cultural organization, Ballet Hispánico. The View’s Ana Navarro will host the post-show black-tie celebration by honoring Lin-Manuel Miranda & Family with the debut of two commissions including Sor Juana.
In this new work, Mexican American choreographer, Michelle Manzanales, explores the life and legacy of the controversial 17th-century mexicana feminist, poet, scholar, and nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Centuries after her death, Sor Juana’s story and integral voice in the feminist movement continue to inspire the world. This piece provides a glimpse of how her courageous and uncompromising life connects to the ongoing legacy for women’s rights, and the rights of all who fight to live freely and safely as their authentic selves.
This production of Sor Juana was created through Ballet Hispánico’s Instituto Coreográfico program which provides space for Latinx artists to develop culturally specific work in a nurturing learning laboratory of dance with a deep commitment to elevating the voices of Latinx leadership.
The evening also includes the world premiere of Papagayos, about a mischievous character who puppeteers humanity, choreographed by Puerto Riqueño Omar Román De Jesús. Rounding off the program is the company’s classic Club Havana which delivers tipo tropicál dancing at its best! The life-giving rhythms of the conga, rumba, mambo, and cha cha spring to life by Cubano choreographer Pedro Ruiz, as he imagines his very own “Club Havana.”
This star-studded performance is open to the public and runs from June 1st thru June 3rd; tickets start at $35 and are available at nycitycenter.org/pdps/2022-2023/ballet-hispanico.
Following the performance, ticket-holders to the Gala dinner will be transported to the Plaza Hotel Ballroom where Academy Award-winner Adriana De Bose will present The Miranda Family with the Nuestra Inspiración Award. “Like our founder Tina Ramirez, The Miranda Family has built a legacy of advocacy and art,” said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispanico. “We are thrilled to present them with Ballet Hispánico’s Nuestra Inspiración Award for their invaluable contributions not only to our company but for their tireless advocacy of Latinx cultures and artists throughout the United States and beyond.”
The Miranda Family has amplified the voices of Latinx artists, paving the way for their stories to be shared with ever-widening audiences through their Miranda Family Fund. For Ballet Hispánico, their gifts have provided the next generation of Latinx artists with paths to professional success. The Miranda Family’s support for Ballet Hispánico educational programs – including the tuition-free Pa’lante Scholars program for professional studies dancers – has created a way forward for young Latinx artists to live out their dreams, and to bring a new perspective to the American cultural landscape.
Gala table and ticket purchases include ticketing for the June 1 Gala Performance at City Center. If you are interested in attending the gala, please contact Ellie Craven at ecraven@ballethispanico.org. For more information, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org/support/events/2023-gala.
For more information visit ballethispanico.org. Follow Ballet Hispánico on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.