Ballet Hispánico To Perform In New York City Center's Digital Fall For Dance Festival Live From The Stage

Ballet Hispánico, the nation's leading Latino dance organization since 1970 and recognized this year as one of America's Cultural Treasures, will perform in New York City Center's digital Fall for Dance Festival, live from the stage, premiering on October 21, 2020 at 7:30pm as part of Program 1. Ballet Hispánico will perform a New York Premiere of excerpts from 18+1, an electric, mambo-driven piece celebrating Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's 19 years as a choreographer. Program 2 will premiere on October 26, 2020 at 7:30 PM ET. Both programs will be available on demand through Sunday, November 1, 2020 on City Center's website at NYCityCenter.org/FallforDance. Digital access $15 per program; On sale now, available on demand through November 1.

"We are so grateful to New York City Center for including us in this unique iteration of this beloved and quintessentially New York festival," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. "The opportunity for our dancers to be on a stage is so exciting for them, and for us all. We are looking forward to performing in such great company."

Reflecting this singular moment in history, this season marks the first time the Festival will be filmed live on the City Center stage and presented digitally-making the annual sold-out "highlight of the city's cultural calendar" (The New York Times) accessible to the entire world to experience.

In keeping with the Festival's long history of accessible tickets, digital access is $15 per program. Expanding City Center's founding mission to make the arts available to everyone, digital access will be free for City Center Education and Community Engagement partners including participating schools (students and teachers) and Fall for Dance Lab professional development participants; and $5 per program for Take 5 Ticket buyers and City Center On the Move partners at NYC Parks recreational centers.

For seventeen seasons, the Fall for Dance Festival has welcomed dance lovers, both existing and new, to experience an array of international dance artists and a variety of genres. Hosted by Alicia Graf Mack and David Hallberg, the 2020 Festival, produced in collaboration with Nel Shelby Productions, features exclusively artists from New York City performing on the City Center stage-highlighting the resilience of dance and dance artists, and the power of coming together in solidarity through the arts.

"The fall has always signaled the beginning of a new season of performing arts across the city. In that tradition, we are turning the lights back on and presenting the Festival live from our stage as the first steps toward City Center's reopening to the public," said President & CEO Arlene Shuler. "We are steadfast in our commitment to support artists at this crucial time, and, with rigorous health and safety protocols in place, we are thrilled to have them back in our building where they belong. We have deep, longstanding relationships with many of the artists and companies in this year's Festival and we are all eager to get them back on the stage. While we may not be able to welcome audiences into the theater yet, I'm delighted that we are able to capture the energy of live performance on our stage and bring these artists directly to our audience-across the city, country, and around the world."

Program 1 features two world premiere commissions, including a solo piece from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's First Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts-choreographed for himself-and a duet from Christopher Wheeldon for New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns and David Hallberg, the incoming artistic director of The Australian Ballet. This marks Mearns and Hallberg's first ever performance together. Martha Graham Dance Company's Natasha M. Diamond-Walker performs Lamentation, one of the Company's quintessential solos, presenting a timeless message about the essence of grief.

In Program 2, acclaimed tap artist Dormeshia and Tony-nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown join forces for a world premiere City Center Commission, accompanied by musicians Noah Garabedian, Winard Harper, and Gabriel Roxbury. Calvin Royal III, recently promoted to principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, also dances a world premiere City Center Commission by choreographer Kyle Abraham. Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, featuring guests Adrian Danchig-Waring and Joseph Gordon (principal dancers with New York City Ballet),perform the iconic male duet from Concerto Six Twenty-Two. The program also features Ashley Bouder, Tiler Peck, and Brittany Pollack in excerpts from George Balanchine's Who Cares?, an exuberant response to George Gershwin's classic tunes.

Programming and casting subject to change. Safety of the artists, crew, and staff is City Center's first priority. All rehearsals and performances are executed in strict adherence to the latest health and safety protocols under the guidance of medical consultants and in accordance with government and union guidelines. New York City Center is located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. For information call 212.581.1212 or visit NYCityCenter.org.

New York City Center gratefully acknowledges Fall for Dance Festival Lead Sponsor Bloomberg Philanthropies. Major Support for Fall for Dance is provided by Jody and John Arnhold. City Center is also grateful for the support of its Fall for Dance Presenting Partners including Denise R. Sobel, Barbara and David Zalaznick, Perry and Marty Granoff and Caroline Howard Hyman. Additional Support for Fall for Dance is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Joyce F. Menschel, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc. and The SHS Foundation. Major Support for New York City Center's 2020-2021 season is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Support for the Arts Access Fund is provided the JLGreene Arts Access Fund in The New York Community Trust, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund and the William and Dewey Edelman Charitable Trust.

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