Ballet Hispánico's B Unidos Instagram Video Series Continues This Week With Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's TIBURONES

Ballet Hispánico continues B Unidos, its Instagram video series, today on Motivational Monday with a message from Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico at www.instagram.com/ballethispanico/.
This week's content continues on www.instagram.com/ballethispanicoedu/*:

Take Action Tuesday 4/28:

- The School of Dance offers an 11am activity for Pasitos (children ages 2-5); a 1pm activity for Pre-Ballet (age 5); Intermediate/Advanced Ballet Barre with Blanca Huertas-Agnew at 3pm on Instagram TV; and Open Level Vogue Class with Jason Rodriguez at 5pm on Instagram LIVE.

Wepa Wednesday 4/29:

- 3pm ET: Open Level Samba Class with Company Dancer, Dandara Veiga on Instagram TV. - 7pm ET: Facebook Watch Party of Tiburones by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa followed by Choreographers & Cocktails - a LIVE Q&A discussion with Eduardo Vilaro and the choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Watch this Company performance LIVE with us on Facebook, YouTube, or view on our website.Watch this Company performance LIVE on Facebook or view on the website.

Therapeutic Thursday 4/30:

- 5pm ET: Open Level Foot Articulation & Conditioning with Blanca Huertas-Agnew on Instagram TV.

Flashback Friday

- 11am ET: A retrospective look back the 1980s from Ballet Hispánico archives of videos and photos, with a request for followers to share their archives with the company.
* unless otherwise noted

Tiburones (2019)

Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Music by Pérez Prado, Dizzy Gillespie, and The Funky Lowlives
Compositions by James Bigbee Garver
Costume Design by Mark Zappone
Lighting Design by Joshua Paul Weckesser

In Tiburones, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa addresses the discrimination and stereotypes placed upon Latinx culture and the power the media has in portraying these themes by diminishing the voices of Latinx artists. Ochoa will deconstruct gender roles and identity to revitalize an authentic perspective of Puerto Rican icons appropriated within the entertainment industry.

World Premiere: November 22, 2019 at the Apollo Theater

This production was made possible by support from contributors to the Perry Granoff New Works Project.

# B Unidos

The series features a series of videos posted created by the three arms of the Ballet Hispánico: the professional company, the School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnership (CAP) and featuring the hashtag #BUnidos at www.instagram.com/ballethispanico/.

Daily, the company releases a new video generated by the dancers, teachers and administrators with the goal of serving as class, exercise, and inspiration: Motivational Mondays (inspirational messages), Take Action Tuesdays (technique tips for young dancers), Wepa Wednesdays (explorations of the many varied styles of Latin Dance), Therapeutic Thursdays (focus on conditioning, health and wellness, stretching), and Flashback Fridays (retrospective looks at past 50 years from Ballet Hispánico's archives).

"As a community of dancers, artists, and human beings, we are all in this together. We will persevere through this challenging time and we hope that these videos provide a coping outlet, for you, for our followers and the community overall," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. "Now more than ever, it is important to band together in support of the arts. The personal and professional challenges that we have already endured and will continue to face over the next few weeks or months are significant. What we can take from this time of cancellations, uncertainty and social distancing is a chance to use our creativity to connect with the community on a new level. Social distancing does not mean emotional distancing. Ballet Hispánico was founded upon and has always believed in the importance of reaching and servicing our community through dance and culture. As this pandemic occurs during our 50th Anniversary, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, get back to our roots by reaching out to community near and far, and look forward to what is ahead."