Paula Lobo/Courtesy photo
Vilar Performing Art Center’s Winter Dance Series highlights diversity and distinction with four separate performances featuring contemporary dance companies. Tuesday, Ballet Hispánico kicks the series off with three works, which highlight three different Latino cultures.
For over a half century, Ballet Hispánico — a favorite at Vail Dance Festival — has employed dance to present vibrant aspects of Latino culture worldwide. As the nation’s largest Latino dance and arts organization, it “celebrates the rich tapestry of Latinx cultures,” according to its website. It is comprised of a professional dance company and a school of dance and also acts as a community arts partner, bringing awareness of Latino cultures to both kids and adults. At each tour stop, dancers aim to teach classes or participate in forums about dance, race and culture.
“We love interacting with the community wherever we land,” said CEO and artistic director Eduardo Vilaro, adding that they had planned an interactive journey in Beaver Creek, but it was canceled.
Though the company is made up of 75% Latino dancers, Latin roots are not a requirement.
“You have to want to love understanding the culture,” he said. “Many people have this idea that Latino is one thing, depending on what they are exposed to, which in Vail, is Mexican (culture). There’s such a plethora of cultures that make up the Latino cultures. This show shows that totally different expression.”
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During the company’s early years, dancers trained in both classical ballet and contemporary techniques and then blended in Spanish and folkloric styles. Its founder, Tina Ramirez, received the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest cultural honor, in 2005. Throughout the years, it has broken stereotypes and fused artistic excellence with social advocacy, the latter of which naturally emerges through the works.
In 2009, Cuban-American Vilaro became the artistic director after being a dancer and educator with the company since 1985. He has expanded its repertory, focusing on Latinx choreographers and honoring each culture’s unique contribution to the arts.
Tuesday evening’s performance begins with “Arabesque,” choreographed by Venezuelan Vicente Nebrada. The suite of dances is characterized by circular, neoclassical movements, reflecting the curvature found in Moorish art. Set to the music of Spanish composer Enrique Granados, dancers reflect the flamenco influence with their upper bodies, especially hand flourishes and arm placement. It’s the oldest work the company showcases Tuesday, having premiered in 1984.
After a brief intermission, dancers perform “Sombrerísimo,” by Columbian and European choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Belgian painter René Magritte inspired the work, with his paintings of men in bowler hats.
“She wanted to create a work of what brings people together,” Vilaro said, commenting on how dancers manipulate the sombreros into the dance. “It’s athletic and contemporary and full of beautiful, different types of Latin American (influences).”
Originally choreographed for an all-male cast, it has evolved into a piece that a mixed-gender cast, or all females, can perform. It premiered in New York City in 2013.
The final work, “Club Havana,” ushers in Latin dancing at its best as artists move to the mesmerizing rhythms of the conga, rumba, mambo and cha cha. Cuban choreographer Pedro Ruiz brings his imagined club in Havana to life in the heart of the mountains. It premiered in 2000.
“(It’s) salsa, mambo and cha cha cha that he all wrapped in Cuban style, reflective of the grandeur of the 1950’s nightclub, Tropicana,” Vilaro said. “The dancers bring you into the choreography. They know how to connect with an audience. That’s what artistry is about — using physicality and expression.”
The Washington Post called the dancers “12 of the most technically accomplished and musical dancers you’ll find in the contemporary sphere.”
“We are thrilled to present dance at the highest level in our intimate mountain venue, from contemporary ballet to innovative partnerships,” said Cameron Morgan, VPAC’s executive director, about the Winter Dance Series. “The talent that graces the stage of this theater is exceptional, and we’re fortunate to offer our community performances that push the boundaries of artistic expression.”