Ballet Hispánico School Of Dance Fall Adult Class Series Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for Ballet Hispánico School of Dance's Fall adult classes in Salsa, Ballet Fitness, Hip Hop, and Flamenco. Classes are open to dancers of all levels and begin the week of October 3, 2022 at their studios on 167 West 89th Street, NYC. Classes are sold in complete series packages by genre. Classes must be purchased by package. No drop-in option available. The deadline to register is September 29, 2022. For more information and to register, visit ballethispanico.org/school/additional-learning/adult-classes.

Salsa - Taught by Marisabel Vasconez

Mondays at 6:45-7:45pm | October 3 - December 5, 2022

Tuition: $190 for the 9-class series

Join us in the Beginner Salsa for Adults series starting this Fall! Get your body moving with us while learning the basic steps, shines, and partner work found in New York's Salsa On2 timing. All steps are safe for all ages and no partner is needed. This class explores the Latin dance of Salsa through body isolations, rhythm, and partner work which are explained and demonstrated in detail using dance kinesiology and theory.

Ballet Fitness - Taught by Victoria Vargas

Tuesdays at 7:15-8:15pm | October 4 - December 6, 2022

Tuition: $190 for the 9-class Tuesday series

Thursdays at 7-8pm | October 6 - December 8, 2022

Tuition: $190 for the 9-class Thursday series

Ballet Fitness classes are recommended to those who wish to build solid technical foundations in ballet, stay in shape, as well as prevent and recover from injuries. This class focuses on floor barre technique as well as center ballet work. Here, you will have the opportunity to learn to connect with and understand your body better; kickstarting the process of a better you. Ballet Fitness is for anyone looking for a low-impact form of exercise that will focus on strengthening their core and extremities using different targeted exercises to keep the body challenged. Our goal is to empower a healthier you by incorporating Ballet Fitness into your everyday life.

Hip Hop - Taught by Anthony 'AntBoogie' Rue II

Wednesdays at 7:30-8:30pm | October 5 - December 7, 2022

Tuition: $200 for the 10-class series

This class will give you the elements of hip hop grooves, culture and ability to express yourself on the dance floor. This class will clean your movements, correct bad habits, all while learning fun and energetic routines that will deliver an enriching cardio workout.

Flamenco - Taught by JoDe Romano 'La Chispa'

Saturdays at 2-3pm | October 8 - December 3, 2022

Tuition: $175 for the 8-class series

Join School of Dance faculty member, and former soloist and choreographer for the Jose Greco Dance Company, JoDe Romano "La Chispa", for an Adult Flamenco class series, exploring castanets, movement techniques, inspirational music, and more. ¡OLÉ!

About the Instructors

JoDe Romano Flamenco

JoDe Romano "La Chispa" was a guest teaching artist & graduate of the High School for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas where she was featured in the Houston Grand Opera's Carmen. She also performed in the Franco Zeffirelli original production of Carmen, starring Placido Domingo and Maria Benitez at the Metropolitan Opera, attended by President Clinton, which was broadcast for PBS's Live From Lincoln Center and toured Japan with the Three Tenors. For over 20 years, Ms. Romano lived, studied, and performed Spanish dance in Spain and Japan, was soloist and choreographer for the José Greco Dance Company at The Joyce Theater, the Town Hall New York City, and toured the US and Spain. She was also a dancer in The Charo Show in Las Vegas with Jerry Lewis, Joel Grey and others, and taught a castanet workout on the Dr. Oz Show. JoDe Romano choreographed the Broadway Workshop production of Rita Hayworth-Hollywood Goddess, numerous Zarzuelas, and the mixed media dramatic presentation, Picasso's Guernica, at The Thalia Theater in New York. Ms. Romano has taught at Alvin Ailey and NYC public schools. Currently, Ms. Romano conducts Spanish dance and castanet classes at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center and is a graduate of the 92Y Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) program. She has been a guest teacher at Hunter College and co-developed and taught a DEL workshop at the 92Y. Ms. Romano also taught a master class and workshop at NYU for NYSDEA and at Fall for Dance at NY City Center. She teaches at Steps on Broadway, Ballet Hispánico, the Joffrey Ballet trainees, and Joffrey summer intensive NYC, along with other locations throughout the NY metropolitan area. Ms. Romano holds a teaching license from the Bureau of Provisionary School Supervision (BPSS) under the NY Department of Education. She has completed a series of instructional DVDs on castanet and flamenco movement techniques and produced and played castanets on her "Spanish Classical Piano and Castanets" CD.

Anthony 'AntBoogie' Rue II

Anthony 'AntBoogie' Rue II is the founder and leader of one of the most commercially successful dance groups, The Amount Boyz. AntBoogie was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and transcended the boundaries of the inner city and its woes, beginning his dance training starting at the early age of 10, at the National Dance Institute. After training at the institute throughout his elementary years Anthony then moved on to attend New York City's acclaimed "Fame" school, Fiorello Laguardia High School of the Performing Arts. While training and excelling in classically trained dance, the exposure to funk and soul classics by his mother and the rise of Hip-Hop music and the dance that followed the movement still had a profound influence on him, and was ultimately where his passion for the art form lay. After founding the Amount Boyz with best friend Adrian Wiltshire and a group of other close friends, it was not long before he was combining the technique and precision he had gained in his years of classical study, with the new emerging style of Hip-Hop dance taking hold of youth throughout the inner city. A combination of his natural ability, learned skill, and determination gained Anthony Rue II aka AntBoogie and the rest of the Amount Boyz recognition from the dance world and commercial industry as a whole. Some of his credits include working with Madonna, Jay-Z , P.Diddy, Omarion, Alicia Keys, Mario, 3LW , and Ryan Leslie. He has also worked on the movies Honey, Dream Girls, Walk Hard, and Notorious B.I.G. AntBoogie has been teaching since 2000. In 2012 he launched Urban Dance League (UDL), a professional sports league of organized street-dance competitions, classes, and showcases. UDL presents professional dancing in the same arena as the professional sports and athletic world. Anthony Rue II aka AntBoogie believes "Dancers are Athletes." More information on UDL can be found on urbandanceleague.com.

Victoria Vargas

Victoria Vargas is the creator of The 5th Position Method and has over 40 years of experience as a professional dancer. She is dedicated to training teachers in the discipline of teaching Ballet through kinesiology. In 2019, she was invited to be Ballet Master for China's annual Famous Teacher Award, and in 2020, she was awarded Outstanding Teacher by the Hong Kong Ballet Group. In addition to her many accolades as a teacher, she is the creator of The 5th Position Method, a recognized floor barre concept among professional ballet dancers and by the new emerging generation of dancers. It is an awakening to body awareness in the use of neurological codes that the human body has to be able to execute movements in a coordinated and effortless way. As a professional ballet instructor, she offers a high level of dance and fitness practice. She communicates with students in a caring and safe environment, helping them reach their full potential while fostering a healthy attitude toward all elements of dance practice. In the words of Ms. Vargas, "teaching is the greatest personal reward." She has been privileged to have taught established companies as well as young aspiring dancers internationally.

Marisabel "Mari" Vasconez

Marisabel "Mari" Vasconez began her ballet training at Academia de Artes Franceschi in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. She trained in Classical Ballet and competitive dance through Act One Dance Studio in Watauga, Texas with Janet Schenk and Marina Almayeva. Mari studied Dance Sciences and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University and graduated from Baruch College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Operations Management. She holds a Master's degree from New York University in Dance Education, Teaching Dance in the Professions: American Ballet Theater Pedagogy Track and is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Mari has taught and performed all over the states in events such as Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance Convention, American College Dance Festival Association, Los Angeles Salsa Congress, Houston Salsa Congress, Unity Dance Festival, and Aventura Dance Cruise. She is the owner and founder of MotionScoop Dance Academy in Queens, NYC where she teaches recreationally to local dancers. She developed a Curriculum Thesis at NYU that focuses on the addition of LatinX Genre studies in higher education and professional settings and hopes to continue her passion for merging dance education and her cultural roots. Through her work, Mari hopes to provide the legacy of enlightening and opening doors to young Latinas and Latinos who are deeply passionate about both dance and their culture. Ultimately, Mari's mission is to guide young dancers and train them at the level that she wished her family could have once afforded. Offering this to her community is her life passion and mission.

About Ballet Hispánico

Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America's Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences. National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970, at the height of the post-war civil rights movements. From its inception Ballet Hispánico focused on providing a haven for Black and Brown Latinx youth and families seeking artistic place and cultural sanctuary. By providing the space for Latinx dance and dancers to flourish, Ballet Hispánico uplifted marginalized emerging and working artists, which combined with the training, authenticity of voice, and power of representation, fueled the organization's roots and trajectory. In 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as its Artistic Director, ushering in a new era by inserting fresh energy to the company's founding values and leading Ballet Hispánico into an artistically vibrant future. Today, Ballet Hispánico's New York City headquarters house a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. From its grassroots origins as a dance school and community-based performing arts troupe, for fifty years Ballet Hispánico has stood as a catalyst for social change. Ballet Hispánico provides the physical home and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. Ballet Hispánico has developed a robust public presence across its three main programs: its Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships. Through its exemplary artistry, distinguished training program, and deep-rooted community engagement efforts Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies underrepresented voices in the field. For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has provided a place of honor for the omitted, overlooked, and oppressed. As it looks to the next fifty years and beyond, Ballet Hispánico seeks to empower, and give agency to, the Latinx experience and those individuals within it. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org.