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Ballet Hispanico brings dance, Latin culture to Centennial

Long before Jennifer Lopez became a Latin pop diva, she attended the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance.

But Tina Ramirez, founder of both the school and the Ballet Hispanico dance company which performs this Saturday at Centennial Hall, realized the need for a showcase of the Hispanic culture in America nearly three decades before the current Latin pop invasion.

Featuring elements of contemporary American dance, Ramirez founded Ballet Hispanico in 1970 in order to bring the Latin culture into the public eye.

"There were so many more Hispanics, but the economic level had gone way down. These children didn't even know where they came from. What was their identity? What is our collective identity? There is so much to Hispanic culture," Ramirez said in an interview with Dance Spirit magazine.

The company returns to Tucson for the first time in three years - just one stop on their 12-state tour.

Ballet Hispanico typically features a broad range of choreographers and this weekend's program reflects that, says Associate Professor of Dance Melissa Lowe.

The company works with "a whole array of modern composers and then also with the other end of the spectrum with choreographers like Ann Reinking," she said. "The choreographers that work with the company basically dictate the style."

Audience members will be treated to the recent works of choreographers Regina Miranda, David RoussÉve and Ram˘n Oller.

Miranda's work, "Avenida Brasil," titled after a busy roadway in Rio de Janeiro, embodies the chaotic ebb and flow of the traffic in the urban locale within the movements of her dancers.

RoussÉve's work, "Somethin' From Nothin'," is partly inspired by the music of Latin superstar Eddie Palmieri, who composed original music for the piece. It is also inspired by early 20th century recordings of interviews with former slaves - on which RoussÉve based the text.

RoussÉve uses the theme of joy and triumph emerging from a situation of pain and suffering, just as the slaves had done with their own music of that era. The interplay between Palmieri's music and the spoken text is the means through which the choreographer portrays this theme.

Finally, Oller's "Bury Me Standing" utilizes traditional gypsy music drawn from the folk songs of the Gypsy, also known as the "Roma" people who have traveled across continents for centuries. The dance itself embodies the spirit of these nomadic people with their sense of community, perseverance and oppression.

Ballet Hispanico's role, however, is not limited to entertainment. The dancers maintain a strong commitment to education. While here in Tucson, members of the company will work with advanced students in school dance departments.

The programs will give the students a view of the professional world of dance otherwise unavailable from the university. Ballet Hispanico is also committed to portraying multiple styles of dance - including classical ballet, traditional and modern Spanish dance - to inner-city children through the same School of Dance that Lopez attended.

The school not only gives the children a sense of the basic techniques of dance but also presents them with a slice of their cultural heritage.

An outgrowth of this school is Ballet Hispanico's educational program Primeros Pasos ("First Steps") that brings the company's unique blend of dance and culture to schools nationwide, upholding Ramirez's original intention of providing the world with the wonderfully diverse aspects of the Hispanic culture.