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 1^st thru June 3^rd; 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.

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Actors Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ariana DeBose and director Guillermo Del Toro stand out among the 14 Latinos nominated for the 94th Academy Awards. Consequently, Twenty-twenty-two and 2006 tie as the years with the most Latino candidacies in Oscars history. Notably, this year’s nods for Latinos are across the board and include nominations in the most coveted categories. 

Del Toro’s film noir Nightmare Alley nabbed four noms, including Best Picture for the Mexican cineaste, while Disney’s Encanto, set in a magical Colombia, got three, including Animated Feature Film. 

Two other movies with Latino connections that received multiple nominations are the biopic Being the Ricardos with three, including one for Bardem as a leading actor, and West Side Story with seven, with one for DeBose as a supporting actress.

INCLUSION, LAYERED STORIES
This year’s inclusion of three Latino noms in the acting categories is a reminder of the power and impact of inclusion, diversity and accurate and multi-dimensional portrayals of minorities in film, for which Latinos have been pressing for decades. The noms were arguably made possible by projects with Latino themes and featuring prominent Latino roles, namely Encanto, West Side Story and Being the Ricardos. Moreover, the candidacies of Bardem, Cruz and DeBose are history-making. 

TWO SPANISH ICONS BOTH WITH FOUR NOMS EACH
In what may be a first, Spain’s husband-wife duo Bardem and Cruz could be the couple that has each received four Oscar nominations and won an Oscar each.

Bardem’s Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar nom for Being the Ricardos is his fourth for the Oscars, winning for his role of a psychopathic killer in No Country for Old Men in 2008. His nod this year ties him with Mexican-born thespian Anthony Quinn as the Latino male actor with the most Academy Award nominations in history. 

In a statement released by Bardem yesterday, he congratulated his fellow nominee in the best actor category, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Garfield.

The 2022 Oscars edition also brings a fourth Oscar nod for Cruz, who competes in Actress in a Supporting Role for Madres Paralelas, her seventh collaboration with acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar. This year’s fourth nomination makes Cruz the Latina actress with the most Oscar nominations. In 2008 she won the Academy Award for the romantic dramedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen.

Other nominees in this category include Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart.

LATINA & BLACK
DeBose, a proud Afro-Latina, received a nod for Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s reimagined musical West Side Story. She is the first U.S. born Latina of black descent to be nominated for the Academy Award. The role of Anita won her the Golden Globe earlier this year.

Rita Moreno played Anita in the original 1960 musical feature, taking home both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for her role. History could repeat itself if DeBose can replicate Moreno’s win of both these two industry awards for playing the same character.

In her first shot for the Academy Award, Debose joins a category that includes nominees Jessie Buckley, Judi Dench, Kirsten Dunst and Aunjanue Ellis.

‘ENCHANTING’ PRODUCTION, MUSIC
All three nominations for Encanto include Latinos. In Best Animated Film, Chicana filmmaker Yvett Merino is one of three producers sharing the honor. 

The Disney animated film’s two other nods are for music. Lin-Manuel Miranda vies for the prize for Original Song with the Spanish-language ballad “Dos Oruguitas,” giving the acclaimed Puerto Rican a second chance to become an EGOT. The prestigious acronym distinguishes a handful of artists who have won the four top American awards in entertainment, an Emmy for TV, Grammy for music, Oscar for film and a Tony for theater. Having won the first three, Miranda lost his first bid for an Academy Award in 2017 for writing the theme song for another Disney film, Moana. 

Miranda’s competition this year includes renowned songwriters Beyoncé, Van Morrison and Billie Eilish.

“Dos Oruguitas” is also making history as the first song fully in Spanish nominated for an Oscar. While Coco’s Academy Award-winning “Remember Me” included lyrics in Spanish, the ballad was a bilingual composition with about half in English and half in Spanish.

Encanto‘s Germaine Franco is a first-time Oscar nominee competing in the Original Score category. She is not the only contender of Latino descent in her category. Franco faces Spanish Alberto Iglesias, the composer for Madres Paralelas.

Carlos López Estrada of Mexico, who stands out among the producers of Raya and the Last Dragon that also vies for the award for Best Animated Film. 

SEVERAL CONTENDERS IN SHORTS
Additionally, five Latino producers, including a woman, battle it out with short films. 

Chile’s Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz compete in Short Film Animated with the Spanish-language Bestia, a stop-motion movie about a secret police agent during the Chilean military dictatorship. Other nominees in the same category are Spain-born Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez with The Windshield Wiper centered on a man who ponders about love while smoking at a cafe.  

For her part, K.D. Dávila stands out among the candidates for an Oscar for Short Film Live action. The Mexican-American filmmaker competes with Please Hold, about a young man whose life is derailed and finds himself at the mercy of automated justice.

The Oscars will broadcast live March 27.

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Actress, singer and filmmaker Selena Gomez will appear in Season Two of Apple TV+’s Dear…, debuting worldwide on March 4.

Inspired by Apple’s Dear Apple spots, Dear… spotlights today’s iconic figures in society using letters written by those whose lives have been changed through their work. “By reading these letters, each influential figure learns how they have unknowingly impacted others and gains new insight into how their work has made a unique contribution to the global community,” claimed streamer in a press statement.

Gomez will join a roster of personalities like the late fashion icon Andre Leon Talley, Oscar-winning actors Viola Davis and Jane Fonda, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Primetime Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor Billy Porter, multiple-Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Oh, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton.

Texas-born Gomez is one of today’s most recognizable pop stars both as an actress and singer. She started her acting career on the PBS children’s show Barney & Friends in the early 2000s and later rose to prominence for her role in the Disney Channel TV series Wizards of Waverly Place. She has been featured in dozens of TV and film projects, including the Horton Hears a Who!, Princess Protection Program, Monte Carlo, Spring Breakers, Hotel Transylvania, Behaving Badly and The Fundamentals of Caring. She can currently be seen in HBO Max’s cooking show Selena + Chef and Hulu’s mystery/comedy series Only Murders in the Building. 

As a singer, Gomez has reportedly sold over seven million records as part of her band Selena Gomez & the Scene and as a solo artist putting out a total of six albums including a 2021 Spanish-language EP titled Revelación, which earned her a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. She has placed 37 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100, including a number-one single and 8 top tens. Her hits include “Come & Get It,” “Lose You to Love Me” and and the Spanish-language “999” with Colombian, Latin Grammy-winner singer Camilo. Three of her songs have been played more than one billion times on Spotify, “Wolves”, the bilingual “Taki Taki” with Ozuna and Cardi B and “It Ain’t Me” with Norwegian DJ Kygo.  

The first season of Dear… featured Lin-Manuel Miranda, Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Yara Shahidi, Stevie Wonder, Aly Raisman, Misty Copeland, Big Bird and others. 

Dear… is executive produced by Emmy and Peabody Award winner R.J. Cutler alongside Todd Lubin, Jay Peterson, Jane Cha and Lyle Gamm. Matador Content produces the series for Apple.

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Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Demián Bichir will be among the first recipients of the Critics Choice Association’s inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema, honoring artists who have made significant contributions to film in 2021. The event will take place Dec. 2.

West Side Story star Moreno, one of a handful of actors who have won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, popularly referred to as EGOT, will be presented with the Icon Award. 

Hamilton legend Miranda, an acclaimed songwriter, actor and director will receive the Visionary Award. 

Bichir, one of four Latino actors nominated for the Oscar for a Best Actor in the history of the Academy, will receive the Career Achievement Award.

“We are thrilled to be launching the first annual Celebration of Latino Cinema which recognizes the talented performers and skilled professionals who create the acclaimed films we are so proud to honor,” says Claudia Puig, CCA member and co-programmer of the event. Founded in 2019 with the merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, CCA is reportedly the largest critics organization in the U.S and Canada representing almost 500 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters. 

Moreno has won all four of the most prestigious awards in show business: an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy. She recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Latino reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day At A Time. Her acclaimed documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival before being released in theaters nationwide and was aired on PBS American Masters this fall. The Puerto Rican actress also co-stars in and is an exec producer of the Steven Spielberg remake of the acclaimed musical film West Side Story, set for release this December. 

A recipient of the Peabody Career Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American culture, Moreno was also honored by her peers as the 50th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. She recently served as Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade and the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Moreno’s first-ever all-Spanish language album Una Vez Más was produced by multiple-Grammy Award-winner Emilio Estefan. Her first book, Rita Moreno: A Memoir is a New York Times bestseller. Also a dancer and singer, Moreno has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Songwriter, actor and director Miranda has also won some of the most prestigious honors in the arts, including a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy and Tony. He is the creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning musical hits Hamilton and In the Heights. His additional Broadway credits include Freestyle Love Supreme, Bring It On: The Musical and the 2009 revival of West Side Story with Spanish translations. The New York native of Puerto Rican descent is the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. He received an Emmy Award with Tom Kitt for their song, “Bigger.” Two of his most recent projects are Disney’s Encanto, now playing in theaters, and Netflix’s current musical movie tick, tick… BOOM! that marked his film directorial debut. 

For his part, Bichir is among the most prominent and active Latino actors in Hollywood today. He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2012 for his role in Chris Weitz’s A Better Life, becoming the first Mexican-born actor to be nominated in that category by the Academy since Anthony Quinn in 1957. This year, Lionsgate celebrates the 10th anniversary of A Better Life, which also earned Bichir nominations for the Independent Spirit and SAG awards. He recently received rave reviews for his performance in the film Land, directed by Robin Wright, and received a 2021 Ariel Best Actor nomination for his performance in the independent film Danyka in Mexico. 

Bichir was born in Mexico City and has starred in critically acclaimed films all over the world, with more than 20 titles shot in Mexico and countries such as Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, New Zealand and Australia. His film credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Che, Oliver Stone’s Savages, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, Paul Feig’s The Heat, Richard Shepard’s Dom Hemingway, Ridley Scott’s Alien, George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky, and Adam Wingard’s blockbuster hit Godzilla Vs. Kong.

“Films by our honorees represent the diverse and multi-faceted Latino community, and reflect our increasingly inclusive industry,” states Clayton Davis, CCA board member and co-programmer of the Celebration of Latino Cinema.

The event will be produced by Madelyn Hammond and Javier Infante of Madelyn Hammond & Associates. Production company Stagedge will be responsible for transforming the show into an immersive virtual experience.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to LA Collab, a project with the mission to accelerate Latino access, visibility and representation in the entertainment industry.

The event will take place Dec. 9.

Featured Photos: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Photo: Courtesy, self) / Rita Moreno (Photo: Courtesy, self) / Demian Bichir (Photo: Courtesy, self)

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Disney’s 60th animated feature is a Latino-themed musical with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda: Encanto. 

Set in a fantastical Colombia, it tells the story of a young woman named Mirabel Madrigal, frustrated for lacking the magical powers enjoyed by all of the other members of her family. But when that magic is in danger of vanishing, Mirabel embarks on a journey to save her loved ones and their home.

Encanto is directed by Oscar-winner Byron Howard and Jared Bush, who worked together in Zootopia, and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, who makes her feature film directorial debut. Castro Smith’s screenwriting credits include series like Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House and the Starz drama Sweetbitter; she also worked as part of the studio and creative leadership team for Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.

The Encanto cast features the voices of Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge!), María Cecilia Botero (La Bruja), Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black), Jessica Darrow (Feast of the Seven Fishes), Angie Cepeda (A Night in Old Mexico) and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show). Other cast members are Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa Dolores, Rhenzy Feliz, Alan Tudyk and reggaeton star Maluma.

Encanto held its world premiere at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre early this month and is set for theatrical release Nov. 24, in time for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Featured Photo: ‘Encanto’ (Credit: Disney)

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Hamilton and The Queen’s Gambit won two and one awards, respectively, at the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which recognizes achievements in television.

The Netflix dramatic series starring Anya Taylor-Joy won Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series. It competed in six categories, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Taylor-Joy. However, the Argentinian-American actress lost to Kate Winslet for her role as Mare Sheehan on HBO’s Mare of Easttown.

Disney+’s Hamilton, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, won for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Miranda himself was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie but lost to Ewan McGregor, who played fashion designer Roy Halston on Netflix’s Halston. Disney+’s Hamilton is the live recording of the acclaimed Broadway musical of the same title about America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, captured live from the Richard Rodgers Theater with the original theatre cast. Hamilton had a total of nine Emmy nominations.

One of the other few nominated Latinos actors was MJ Rodriguez, who vied for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Blanca Evangelista on FX’s Pose. She lost to Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s The Crown. Still, Rodriguez made history as the first-ever transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy Award in a major acting category.

The Mandalorian, a Disney+ sci-fi series starring Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal that is part of the Star Wars franchise, received five Emmy nominations but lost in all of them. 

Earlier in the month, another Latina won a different kind of Emmy, the Creative Arts Emmy, which honors technical and other achievements in television. Jessica Hernández won for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. She shared the award with Daysha Broadway and Stephanie Filo.

(See complete list of Primetime Emmy winners below.)

Featured Photo: Hamilton (Credit: Disney+)

2021 Emmy Winners

Best Limited Series: The Queen’s Gambit

Best Drama: The Crown 

Best Comedy: Ted Lasso 

Outstanding Variety Special, Pre-Recorded: Hamilton

Outstanding Variety Special, Live: Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020

Best Actor, Drama: Josh O’Connor, The Crown

Best Actress, Drama: Olivia Colman, The Crown

Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie: Ewan McGregor, Halston

Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown

Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama Special: Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You

Directing for a Limited Series: Scott Frank, The Queen’s Gambit

Reality Competition Program: RuPaul’s Drag Race

Best Actor, Comedy: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Actress, Comedy: Jean Smart, Hacks

Directing for a Comedy Series: Lucia Aniello, Hacks 

Writing for a Comedy Series: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks

Variety Sketch Series: Saturday Night Live

Variety Talk Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Writing for a Variety Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Supporting Actor, Drama: Tobias Menzies, The Crown

Supporting Actress, Drama: Gillian Anderson, The Crown

Directing for a Drama Series: Jessica Hobbs, The Crown

Writing for a Drama Series: Peter Morgan, The Crown 

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or a Movie: Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown

Supporting Actor, Comedy: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso

Supporting Actress, Comedy: Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Directing for a Variety Special: Bo Burnham, Inside

Directing for a Variety Series: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actress, Comedy: Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actor, Comedy: Dave Chappelle, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actress, Drama: Claire Foy, The Crown

Guest Actor, Drama: Courtney B. Vance, Lovecraft CountryTelevision Movie: Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

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Hamilton and In the Heights actor Lin-Manuel Miranda is busier than ever. Recently it was announced that he will be making his directorial debut in Tic Toc Boom and now his latest VO for an animated character, in Netflix’s new musical film Vivo will premiering on Friday, August 6.

Academy Award nominee Miranda is the leading voice in this mix of rom-com and adventure for kids and adults, whose cast also features Zoe Saldana (Avatar series), actress, singer and composer Gloria Estefan and Juan de Marcos González, a singer of the Buena Vista Social Club featured in the eponymous Oscar-nominated documentary about Cuba’s iconic music ensemble. Miranda does double duty on Vivo as he is one of the composers along with Alex Lacamoire |(The Greatest Showman).

The story and screenplay are by Oscar-nominated director and writer Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (In the Heights).

Directed DeMicco and Brandon Jeffords, Vivo follows a lovable one-of-kind kinkajou, a.k.a. a rainforest “honey bear” (Miranda), who spends his days playing music to the crowds in a lively square with his beloved owner Andrés (González).

Tragedy strikes shortly after Andrés receives a letter from the famous singer Marta Sandoval (Estefan), inviting her old partner to her farewell concert with the hope of reconnecting. It’s up to Vivo to deliver a message that Andrés never could: A love letter to Marta, written long ago, in the form of a song. But to get to Marta, who lives a world apart, Vivo will need the help of Gabi (newcomer Ynairaly Simo), an energetic tween who bounces to the beat of her own offbeat drum, to fulfill his owner’s wishes.

Other Vivo cast members include Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree, Nicole Byer, Leslie David Baker, Katie Lowes, Olivia Trujillo and Lidya Jewett. Other talents who contribute voices to the film are Oscar Camacho, Eileen Galindo, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez, Richard Miro, Paloma Morales, Christian Ochoa, Susan Oliveras and Arianna Rosario.

Miranda has voiced animated characters previously, including the TV series DuckTales for Disney, BoJack Horseman for Netflix, Nina’s World for Universal Kids and the short Polar Bears. While he didn’t lend his voice to Disney’s animated film Moana, he wrote the movie’s theme “How Far I’ll Go” that earned him an Oscar nom.

Vivo premiered July 30, 2021, and is scheduled for a digital release on Netflix on August 6, 2021.

Featured Photo: Vivo and Andrés in ‘Vivo’ (Credit: Neflix/SPAI)

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As Broadway and Hollywood made Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, the Puerto Rican artist has used his fame and platform for public service. The Hamilton and In the Heights star’s advocacy for Latinos and the arts has now earned him recognition from the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation.

The Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated Miranda is set to receive the foundation’s 2021 Service to America Leadership Award next month. The honor recognizes “individuals and organizations responsible for improving the lives of others through extraordinary public service,” according to the organization. It is the Leadership Foundation’s highest individual honor.

“As the creative force behind some of the most successful stage and screen productions in recent memory, Lin-Manuel Miranda  has left an indelible mark on our culture,” says NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “He has matched his outstanding success with an outspoken advocacy for Puerto Rico and the arts, and a steadfast commitment to helping communities grow, learn and thrive.”

An actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, and playwright, Miranda is the creator and original star of Hamilton and In the Heights, two multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals that have also been made into movies–the latter currently playing in theatres nationwide. His artistic work has also picked up a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Olivier Awards, and an Emmy Award, among others. 

The New Yorkis also the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. Furthermore, he received nominations for an Oscar and for four Golden Globe awards for his work in films like Moana, Mary Poppins Returns and the television miniseries Fosse/Verdon. He has also been featured in the TV series His Dark Materials and Duck Tales and has written the New York bestsellers “Hamilton: The Revolution” and “Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You.”  

And now he’s adding director to his resume by helming the upcoming Netflix “Tick, Tick… Boom!” set for release later in 2021.

Arguably one of the busiest starts on the planet, he has also managed to remain involved in causes close to his heart.

He has been an active partner with the Hispanic Federation to help Puerto Rico’s relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria since 2017. He launched Raise Up, a digital fundraising campaign to support the Hispanic Federation Emergency Assistance Fund, which serves Latino communities throughout the nation. The fund has reportedly donated more than $14 million to 250 community-based organizations focusing on reaching the most impacted and vulnerable communities. It is said to be the most far-reaching Latino Covid-19 emergency relief effort in the country.

Miranda is also an advocate for the arts. He and the Flamboyan Foundation launched the Flamboyan Arts Fund in 2018, which has raised more than $15 million to support the arts and artisans in Puerto Rico. Last year the fund launched the Arts Innovation and Management Puerto Rico program to fund bilingual management training, business consulting, and natural disaster response resilience training for arts organizations.

Furthermore, Miranda partnered up with Jeffrey Seller and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History for the creation of the Hamilton Education Program five years ago to empower educators to integrate the arts and creativity in the study of the revolutionary and founding era. The program relies on original historic documents to inspire artistic pieces and has served about a quarter-million high school students. During the pandemic, it was expanded recently for use by middle school students as a free online program.

“We are delighted to commemorate (Miranda’s) storied accomplishments and dedication to public service with the Service to America Leadership Award,” says Smith, the NAB president.

Miranda will receive the award on July 10.

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One of the nation’s most prominent Latino dance groups, the company was founded in 1970 in New York by Tina Ramirez, a dancer and choreographer who since her early beginning studied ballet, modern dance and ethnic dance. The Puerto Rican/Mexican-American artist would later incorporate those styles into the core programs of the company that is world-famous for presenting dances reflecting the experience of Hispanics and Latino Americans.

Ballet Hispánico’s New York City headquarters houses a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. In 2010, the company launched Instituto Coreográfico, a choreographic institute for “Latinx artists to create culturally specific work in a nurturing learning laboratory of dance,” according to its website. The choreographer in residence is paired with an emerging filmmaker to document their process, create promotional materials and add a layer of artistic collaboration.

In recognition of her work and contributions to the field of dance, Ramirez received the National Medal of Arts in 2005. Created by the U.S. Congress, the award honors artists and patrons of the arts. 

Last year, the Ford Foundation designated Ballet Hispánico one of “America’s Cultural Treasures,” awarding the company $4.5 million over four years.

Oscar-nominated Miranda and Perez are scheduled to appear in the May 27 private virtual celebration featuring performances by Ballet Hispánico Company and artists of its School of Dance. The exclusive event will include a welcome and toast from Eduardo Vilaro, company artistic director, and a live post-performance conversation with company dancers. 

Ticket prices start at $150. Individuals who purchase tickets with multiple invitations will be able to invite guests to join them for the private screening at no additional cost. These multiple-invitation tickets start at $250. Ticket buyers and their guests will also have the opportunity to visit and mingle together in private virtual event rooms.

“This is an evening you won’t want to miss with performances from our Company dancers and School of Dance students in celebration of 50 years of Dance, Orgullo, Education, Sabor, Access, Amor, Community, Espíritu, and Innovation,” reads a company Facebook post. 

Adds Vilaro in another post, “It’s our celebration of 50 years of pride, dance, education and it’s going to be phenomenal.” 

Ballet Hispanico’s 50th Celebration will premiere virtually to the public for free this Friday with performances by Ballet Hispánico Company and artists of its School of Dance on YouTube, Facebook and ballethispanico.org. The ballet notes the May 28 event is free of charge “thanks to the generous support of our ticket buyers, donors, and sponsors. The performance will remain available for two weeks on the three online platforms.

The company has reportedly performed for more than two million people in the U.S, Europe and South America with a repertory of over 75 works, all of them created especially for Ballet Hispanico fusing ballet, modern and Latin dance in celebration of contemporary Latino culture. 

For tickets and more information, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org.

Featured Photo: Rosie Perez (Credit: Joella Marano), Ballet Hispanico (Credit: Courtesy of Company), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Credit: Gage Skidmore)

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With pandemic protocols relaxing, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival will be returning with a mix of virtual programming and in-person screenings in Hollywood June 2 through 6.

LALIFF has announced a hybrid lineup featuring more than 40 films in English, Spanish and Portuguese that include 18 features, 6 episodic series and 24 shorts. The selections hail from about a dozen countries from the Americas, from the U.S. down to Tierra del Fuego and also the Caribbean.

Opening the fest is 7th & Union, an American dramatic feature about a Mexican immigrant ex-fighter whose friendship with a disgruntled man could save the boxer and his family. Debuting worldwide at LALIFF, the film stars famed Mexican actor Omar Chaparro who appeared in the comedy No Manches Frida that had wide distribution in American theaters. It is directed by the upcoming filmmaker Anthony Nardolillo (Shine) and written by Oscar Orlando Torres (Instructions not Included). A binational co-production, the film is produced by USA’s 13 Paces and Mango Tree and Mexico’s Broken English. Co-starring the film are Edy Ganem, Julian Obradors, Gregg Daniel and Lee Coc. The opening screening will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

The festival’s line up includes Rita Moreno: A Girl Who Decided to Go for It, the documentary about Academy-Award winner Rita Moreno, directed by Mariem Perez Riera and winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize in the documentary category; Bridges, the debut feature by director and actress Maria Corina Ramirez (Grown); the documentaries American Exile by John J. Valadez, Landfall by Cecilia Aldarondo and Fruits of Labor by Emily Cohen Ibañez; and Jonathan Cuarta’s My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It to, a horror drama that was an official selection of the Tribeca Festival last year.

Those attending the fest will also get to see a special preview of the highly anticipated musical film In the Heights. Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), the film is based on the Broadway musical hit with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, the Broadway musical) and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story takes place in New York’s largely Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights. The screening will take place June 4, five days before the film’s showcase at the Tribeca Film Festival’s World Premiere and a week before its release in theaters and on HBO Max.

Featured films include Colombia’s Between Fire and Water, Brazil’s Executive Order, Argentina’s La Botera, Mexico’s Nudo Mixteco, Dominican Republic’s Papi, Panama’s Something Blue, and Peru’s The Best Families.

The majority of the fest’s selections are American, which also include Green Ghost, Landfall and Blursday, the latter a co-production with Taiwan.

Closing the film will be Women is Losers, another American selection. Set in working-class San Francisco of the ’60s, the coming-of-age drama marks the directorial debut of Lissette Feliciano, who also wrote the screenplay. Starring Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Lorenza Izzo, it tells the story of a once-promising catholic schoolgirl who rises above the oppression of poverty and invests in a future for herself setting new precedents for the time. Simu Liu, who will make history this fall with his lead role in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, also stars in the film.

LALIFF is an annual project of the nonprofit Latino Film Institute. Last year’s fest was held online because of the pandemic.

“As we begin to finally see some normalcy in our lives, we are thrilled to be able to commemorate our 20th anniversary by bringing Angelenos together, safely, to celebrate our community of talented storytellers that so need our support,” says Academy-Award nominated actor and LALIFF founder Edward James Olmos. “This past year has been hard for everyone, and we are excited to continue to support and provide a platform to these creators that despite all odds, continued to create art.”

Fest organizers hope the hybrid screenings will allow the event to reach a wide audience. “After such a challenging year LALIFF comes stronger than ever, with a diverse program that is testament to the creativity and resilience of our artists,” says Diana Cadavid, the fest’s artistic director who assumed her position last year at the beginning of the pandemic. “Our combination of in-person and virtual events is designed to enhance our viewership experience and to ensure that everyone can enjoy the rich offering of films, episodics, music and art that we have carefully curated.”

For a complete movie lineup, schedule and tickets, visit www.laliff.org.

Featured Photo: In The Heights (Credit: LALIFF)

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