Ballet Hispánico Partners With ¡Viva El Arte De Santa Bárbara! For A Virtual Residency And Community Performances

Ballet Hispánico, the nation's renowned Latinx dance organization recognized as one of America's Cultural Treasures, is partnering with ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, an Arts & Lectures community arts program for a two-month virtual residency.

From January 26 through March 18, Ballet Hispánico will teach 40 virtual workshops at three Santa Barbara County schools, serving more than 130 elementary to high school students as they explore cultural identity through the lens of Con Brazos Abiertos.

The workshops will culminate in a live virtual event sharing the process of the residencies with the school communities of Isla Vista Elementary, Kermit McKenzie, and Santa Barbara High School. A broadcast of Ballet Hispánico's En Familia will be narrated by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro showcasing two full pieces of the company's repertoire - Con Brazos Abiertos and Club Havana. The program will air from March 19-26 on the TVSB community channel to more than 100,000 potential audience members, to permit access to all, even those who may not have access to the internet.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Viva el Arte Santa Bárbara again. This partnership helps bring our teaching and performances to many communities lacking access to arts programming and in turn ignites cultural pride with a sense of belonging for those communities," said Eduardo Vilaro, CEO and Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico. "Now more than ever, our presence and work with Black and Brown communities is essential."

Participating students will be exposed to world-class choreographers and cultural contexts through the lens of Ballet Hispánico's repertory, led by Company dancer and teaching artist Laura Lopez.

Community Arts Partnerships (CAP) engage and enrich communities by providing educational programs that celebrate the authenticity of Latinx heritage, culture, and traditions. Ballet Hispánico has developed new, engaging virtual programs to share the vibrancy of dance and Latinx culture with communities spanning all locations, age-groups, and abilities. This is an opportunity to keep our communities connected and create platforms nationwide for Black and Brown artists to be celebrated. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission, and these programs create access points to these principles through transformative artistic experiences. During this time of social distancing, we have expanded our creativity to connect with the community on a new level. Social distancing does not have to mean emotional distancing.

More information on our virtual programming at ballethispanico.org.

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