Pillowtalk: 50 Years of Ballet Hispánico

Ballet Hispánico, America’s leading Latino dance organization known for “piercing stereotypes” (The New York Times), continues its celebration of 50 years of uniting people through dance with PILLOWTALK: 50 YEARS OF BALLET HISPÁNICO on Friday, June 24, 2020 at 5:00pm EDT. Details are available athttps://www.jacobspillow.org/events/pillowtalk-50-years-of-ballet-hispanico/.

From its grassroots origins as a dance school and community-based performing troupe, Ballet Hispánico has grown into a world-class institution, recounted here by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro along with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and community engagement specialist AnaMaria Correa. The conversation will be moderated by Brian Schaefer, a Pillow Scholar-in-Residence and journalist/writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and many other publications.

To register for the free event, RSVP at https://my.jacobspillow.org/774/777?_ga=2.140239539.1661264406.1594393238-1462888151.1594393238. With your RSVP, you’ll receive a day-of reminder email with the direct link to the event, as well as exclusive bonus content to watch beforehand. The conversation will be available to view through August 31, 2020.

This event is produced in collaboration with Nel Shelby Productions.

About PillowTalks
One part of this year’s Virtual Festival with eight weeks of free programming from July 7-August 29, PillowTalks are live conversations with leaders in the dance field across styles and disciplines. As part of the 25th season of this series at the Pillow, they are newly imagined in an online format and some are filmed onsite. PillowTalks premiere every Friday at 5pm Eastern on YouTube. They will be made available for the duration of the summer, until August 31. Individuals who attend the premiere at 5pm will have the opportunity to live-chat with scholars, artists, and audience members from around the world. For additional information and to RSVP, visit:www.jacobspillow.org/virtual-pillow/virtual-festival-talks/.

About Jacob’s Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, currently in the midst of its transition to becoming a year-round center for dance through a five-year strategic plan titled Vision ’22. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and over 500 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. The School at Jacob’s Pillow, one of the field’s most prestigious professional dance training centers, encompasses the diverse disciplines of Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Musical Theatre Dance, Photography, Choreography, and an annual rotating program (Street & Club Dances in 2020). The Pillow also provides professional advancement opportunities across disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production through seasonal internships and a year-round Administrative Fellows program. With growing community engagement programs, the Pillow serves as a partner and active citizen in its local community. The Pillow’s extensive Archives, open year-round to the public and online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Notable artists who have created or premiered dances at the Pillow include choreographers Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Kevin McKenzie, Twyla Tharp, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Trisha Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Wally Cardona, Andrea Miller, and Trey McIntyre; performed by artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen de Lavallade, Mark Morris, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, Rasta Thomas, and hundreds of others. On March 2, 2011, President Barack Obama honored Jacob’s Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. The Pillow’s Director since 2016 is Pamela Tatge. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

About Ballet Hispánico
Ballet Hispánico, America’s leading Latino dance organization, has been bringing people together to celebrate the joy and diversity of Latino cultures for 50 years. Over the past five decades, Ballet Hispánico’s mission-driven ethos has been a catalyst of change for communities throughout our nation. By bringing the richness of the Latinx culture to the forefront of performance, education and social advocacy, Ballet Hispánico is a cultural ambassador. The organization’s founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today, Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company whose artistic vision responds to the need for social equity, cultural identity, and quality arts education for all. Ballet Hispánico has been, and will continue to be, a beacon for diversity. The art we create explores and celebrates the culture without the trappings of stereotypes. We foster the pursuit of art as a way of providing transformation through the exploration of the human condition. Our art often defies gravity, acting as a frontline against cultural division by releasing preconceived notions of culture and instead offering our audiences new perspectives.