Ballet Hispánico Announces New Company Dancers

Ballet Hispánico, the nation's largest Latinx cultural organization and one of America's Cultural Treasures, is thrilled to announce and congratulate three extraordinary artists who joined the Company effective August 1, 2023: Daryn Diaz, Adam Dario Morales, and Amanda Ostuni.

"We are thrilled to have these vibrant young dancers join the BH Familia. Especially, that two of these new artists come directly from our School of Dance and the Pa'lante program. A program we developed to support the development of Latinx artists," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO, Ballet Hispánico.

Amanda Ostuni (Company dancer) is from Patterson, New York where she began dancing at Seven Star School of Performing Arts. She spent fourteen years training in ballet (under the guidance of Anita Intrieri), contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. In 2019, she attended Butler University, furthering her dance training and education, graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance. She performed roles such as Odette in Butler Ballet's performance of Swan Lake, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Butler Ballet's The Nutcracker. While she was there, Amanda had the honor of working with Susan McGuire, training in a hybrid of Cunningham and Graham techniques, as well as working with Jennifer Archibald and Deborah Wingert. This is Amanda's first season with Ballet Hispánico.

Daryn Diaz (apprentice) was born and raised in Tampa, Florida of Cuban and Spanish descent. She began training at the Patel Conservatory at an early age, where she explored music, theater and vocal arts, and her passion of dance. While there, Diaz earned her way into the pre-professional ballet company of the Straz Center - Next Generation Ballet. Alongside her rigorous ballet schedule, she also pursued precision dance, contemporary and jazz instruction. Diaz has received additional training and mentoring from other summer programs including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Victor Ullate in Madrid, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Hispánico's ChoreoLab, and Gaga Homelab NYC. After auditioning for Ballet Hispánico in the Summer of 2019, she moved at age 17 to train with Ballet Hispánico's Second Company, BHdos. Due to the pandemic, she was afforded the opportunity to teach at Patel Conservatory in her hometown for the 2020-2021 school year. In her personal home studio, she was also able to teach private lessons for grades K-12. Diaz was inducted into the National Honor Society in high school, graduated a year early, and is currently working towards her bachelor's degree in Marketing Analytics at New York University. This is Daryn's first season with Ballet Hispánico.

Adam Dario Morales (apprentice) is of Colombian descent, and was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey. He began his training at The Ailey School under the direction of Tracy Inman and Tiffany Barnes on a full merit scholarship at the age of four years old. During his training, he was awarded the "Alvin Ailey Athletic Boy's Scholarship." In 2019, Adam was selected to be a recipient of The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship as a student of The Ailey School. Adam then joined Ballet Hispánico's Professional Studies program as part of the inaugural cohort under the direction of Rodney Hamilton. Adam also had the privilege to have starred In HBO's "Legendary" Season 3. Adam has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Eduardo Vilaro, Norbert De La Cruz III, Tsai-Hsi Hung, Juan Rodriguez, Christian Von Howard, Pedro Ruiz, Tiffany Barnes, Lisa Attles, Adrian Herd. This is Adam's first season with Ballet Hispánico.

Ballet Hispánico is the largest Latinx/Latine/Hispanic cultural organization in the United States and one of America's Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico's three main programs, the Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships bring communities together to celebrate the multifaceted Hispanic diasporas. Ballet Hispánico's New York City headquarters provide the physical home and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. It is a space that initiates new inclusive cultural conversations and explores the intersectionality of Latine cultures. The Ballet Hispánico mission opens a platform for new social dialogue, and nurtures and sees a community in its fullness. Through its exemplary artistry, distinguished training program, and deep-rooted community engagement, Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies Latine voices in the field. For over fifty years Ballet Hispánico has provided a place of honor for the omitted, overlooked, and othered. As it looks to the future, Ballet Hispánico is pushing the culture forward on issues of dance and Latine creative expression.