RALEIGH, N.C. — N.C. State LIVE brings New York based company Ballet Hispanico to Raleigh for a chance to learn and share in Latinx culture.
What You Need To Know
- Ballet Hispanico was founded in 1970 as a haven for Black and brown Latinx youth and their families
- The New York based company travels the world sharing Latinx culture through dance productions, dance trainings, and community engagement
- Ballet Hispanico is on tour through April 29
For over 50 years, Ballet Hispanico has toured the world, exploring cultures through dance productions, dance training and community engagement.
Founded by Tina Ramirez in 1970, the company originally focused on creating a safe space for Black and brown Latinx youth and their families. This history is something N.C. State LIVE Director Sharon Moore wants to share with the local community.
“The Latinx community will see themselves on our stage, and they’ll see successful artists doing powerful and important things for the community and for the artistic world,” Moore said.
Ballet Hispanico performed Feb. 11 at Stewart Theatre and spread its roots into the community while here.
Lyvan Verdecia, a Latin social dance instructor, danced with Ballet Hispanico for seven years. He got a special request to come to Raleigh and help lead a dance session at N.C. State.
“Since I was very young, I loved dancing. I loved watching people on stage and sharing their movement,” Verdecia said. “And I feel like movement is such a strong vocabulary.”
Ballet Hispanico is sharing that vocabulary far and wide on its current tour, ending in Santa Barbara, California on April 29.