Ballet Hispanico to Perform SOMBRERISIMO as Part of Inaugural Victory Dance at The New Victory Theater

Ballet Hispanico will perform audience favorite Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa from July 23-25 at Victory Dance, a pilot initiative of The New Victory Theater to provide free dance performances to New York City kids this summer.

Each week, Victory Dance will feature three daytime performances free of charge for Victory Dance Summer Education Partnership students. Additionally, one evening performance at The New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd Street) will be made available for the general public at $10 per ticket. Every performance will be followed by a talk-back with the choreographers. Tickets for Victory Dance are available online (NewVictory.org) and by telephone (646.223.3010).

Ballet Hispanico's Sombrerísimo will be presented in a program that includes works from LAVA, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, and Lil Buck:

Performance Schedule

Program B: July 23-25

School/Day Camp Performances: July 23-25 at 11:00am Public Performance: July 24 at 7:00pm

LAVA Heart Beat Hoops by Sarah East Johnson

Monica Bill Barnes & Company I Love Vegas and Anna's Interview by Monica Bill Barnes

Lil Buck The Swan by Lil Buck

Ballet Hispanico Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Sombrerísimo by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

An absorbing exploration of identity, Sombrerísimo makes references to the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats. This athletic work for six male dancers was commissioned by New York City Center for the 10th anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival.

A three-week series serving New York City day camps and school programs from July 16 to August 1, 2014, Victory Dance will feature a cross-section of New York choreographers and companies in more than a dozen pieces specifically curated for young audiences. Through Victory Dance, New York City kids will have the opportunity to meet with choreographers and dancers, as well as see these incredible artists and companies present their very best work.

ABOUT BALLET HISPANICO

Celebrating 43 years of dance and culture, Ballet Hispanico is recognized as the nation's premier Latino dance organization. Led by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the Company boasts a rich and diverse repertory of over 100 works by the foremost choreographers and emerging artists of our time. Building on founder Tina Ramirez's legacy, Ballet Hispanico explores the diversity of Latino culture through a fusion of Latin and contemporary dance powered by theatricality and passion. The Company has performed for an audience of nearly 3 million, throughout 11 countries and on 3 continents. Through the work of its professional company, school of dance, and community arts education programs, Ballet Hispanico celebrates the dynamic aesthetics of the Hispanic diaspora, building new avenues of cultural dialogue and sharing the joy of dance with all communities. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org. Follow Ballet Hispanico on Facebook and Twitter.

EDUARDO VILARO, a first generation Cuban-American, began as artistic director of Ballet Hispanico in August of 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since it was founded in 1970. Mr. Vilaro has been part of the Ballet Hispanico family since 1985. As a dancer with the Ballet Hispanico Company, he performed throughout the U.S., Latin America and Europe and assisted founder Tina Ramirez with the development of dance education residencies. Mr. Vilaro is also an accomplished choreographer, having created works for the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Lexington Ballet, the Civic Ballet of Chicago, and over 20 ballets for Luna Negra Dance Theater, the company he founded in Chicago. He received a B.F.A. in Dance from Adelphi University and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia College Chicago, where he served as Artist-in-Residence at The Dance Center. Mr. Vilaro was a guest speaker at the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders and the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture, and continues to speak to the growing need for cultural diversity and dance education.

ABOUT THE NEW VICTORY THEATER

The New Victory Theater introduces extraordinary performing artists from around the world to extraordinary audiences in New York City, bringing kids to the arts and arts to kids. Created in 1995 for young New Yorkers, their families and schoolmates, The New Victory Theater presents a diverse season of international companies at low ticket prices year after year. Through the theater's award-winning education programs, a dynamic combination of school and public programs, The New Victory continues to provide access to schools and communities of New York City who seek to experience and engage with the work on our stages, often for the very first time. These nationally-recognized programs exemplify the New Vic's long-standing commitment to the intrinsic value of cultural participation in the lives of young people and families. The theater's contributions to the cultural landscape of the city were celebrated by the prestigious New York critics' organization, The Drama Desk, which presented The New Victory Theater with a Special Award for "providing enchanting, sophisticated children's theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people."

ABOUT THE NEW 42ND STREET

Building on the foundation of seven historic theaters, The New 42nd Street leads the dynamic evolution of the reinvented 42nd Street, cultivating a unique New York City cultural and entertainment destination through its three projects: The New Victory Theater, a performing arts theater devoted to kids and families; the New 42nd Street Studios, a state-of-the-art, 10-story performing arts complex for rehearsal, performance and arts administration; and The Duke on 42nd Street, an intimate black-box theater. An independent, nonprofit organization, The New 42nd Street is committed to the transformational power of the arts.