Eduardo Vilaro Returns to Harris Theater with Ballet Hispanico 11/5

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance is thrilled to present the return of Eduardo Vilaro, founder of Chicago's own Luna Negra Dance Theater, with his new company, New York City's acclaimed Ballet Hispanico, for a one-night-only engagement, Friday, November 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm. This performance marks Vilaro's first engagement in Chicago since he joined Ballet Hispanico as its Artistic Director in August 2009, and will be a special opportunity for Chicagoans to reunite with the accomplished choreographer who created many of Luna Negra's most treasured and popular works.

"I am honored and thrilled to be returning to Chicago with this inspiring troupe of artists," said Vilaro. "Chicago was my home for many years and is an amazing city for dance. I look forward to sharing Ballet Hispanico's 40th anniversary season and bringing another perspective to the Latino dialogue in such a vibrant community."

The program for Ballet Hispanico's Harris Theater debut will include exclusive previews of new works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Maray Gutierrez, both which will receive World Premieres as part of Ballet Hispanico's November 2010 engagement at The Joyce Theater. Additionally, audiences will be treated to Christopher Gillis' Farewell, a haunting duet that explores the physical and psychological separation in a relationship. Lastly, the engagement will include one of Ballet Hispanico's most popular works, Pedro Ruiz's Club Havana. With its energizing coupling of modern Latin dance styles, including the intoxicating rhythms of the Mambo, Rumba, Cha Cha and Conga, this sultry, pulsating atmospheric piece is Cuban native Ruiz's own imagined "Club Havana."

"It's a real treat to once again collaborate with our friend Eduardo Vilaro," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater. "We are thrilled to welcome Eduardo back to our stage, and can't wait to introduce our audiences to the diverse, innovative and captivating repertoire of Ballet Hispanico."

Acclaimed by The New York Times as "one of the most prominent Hispanic-American dance organizations in the country," Ballet Hispanico was founded in 1970 by Venezuelan-born dancer and choreographer Tina Ramirez. A student of classical, contemporary, and Spanish dance traditions, in 1963 she set aside a successful performing career to continue the educational legacy of her retiring Spanish dance teacher and mentor, Lola Bravo. This laid the foundation for the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance, which provides children with the same well-balanced training of classical, contemporary and Spanish dance which she enjoyed as a young adult. Today, Ballet Hispanico is the foremost dance representative of Hispanic culture in the United States, with a professional company which tours nationally and internationally; a school of dance unique in its emphasis on ballet, modern and Spanish dance as its core curriculum; and extensive programming for public schools. The company's innovative repertory fuses ballet, modern and Latin dance forms into a spirited image of the contemporary Hispanic world. More than 75 new works have been commissioned by Ramirez from choreographers of international stature such as Alberto Alonso, Talley Beatty, Graciela Daniele, George Faison, Vicente Nebrada and Ann Reinking, and such dynamic young artists as Susan Marshall, Ramón Oller, David Roussève, Pedro Ruiz and William Whitener.

A former principal dancer with Ballet Hispanico, Eduardo Vilaro is building on Ramirez's founding vision for the Company and brings with him a commitment to dance, education, and to fostering a deeper understanding of the rich diversity within Latino cultures. Born in Cuba, Vilaro came to New York City at the age of six and began his dance training as a teenager on scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center; he also studied at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. After a decade performing with Ballet Hispanico as a principal dancer, Vilaro founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in 1999 and has created more than 20 ballets for Luna Negra and other dance companies around the country. He has worked in collaboration with many major dance and design artists, musicians and ensembles, including Paquito D'Rivera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America.

The program for the Ballet Hispanico engagement at the Harris Theater is as follows:

MAD'MOISELLE (Preview)

Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Music by Bart Rijnink

Costume Design by Diana Ruettiger

Lighting by Mary Louise Geiger

 

 

FAREWELL (1992)

Choreography by Christopher Gillis

Restaged by Kate Johnson

Music by Enrique Granados ("La Maja y el Ruiseñor" from Goyescas)

Original Costume Design by Ginger Blake

Costume Design by Patricia Zipprodt

Original Lighting Design by Mark McCullough

Lighting Design by Donald Holder

 

 

NEW WORK BY MARAY GUTIERREZ (Preview)

Choreography by Maray Gutierrez

Music by Gabriela Lena Frank

Costume Design by Brian Reyes

Costume Construction by Diana Ruettiger

Lighting Design by Josh Preston

The world premiere featuring the work of Maray Gutierrez and the music of Gabriela Lena Frank was commissioned, in part, with funding from Works & Process at the Guggenheim and the American Music Center Live Music for Dance Program.

 

CLUB HAVANA (2000)

Choreography by Pedro Ruiz

Music by Israel López, Rubén Gonzales, A.K. Salim,

Perez Prado, and Francisco Repilado

Costume Design by Emilio Sosa

Lighting Design by Donald Holder

 

Tickets for Ballet Hispanico, which range from $35 - $60 are on sale now at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.HarrisTheaterChicago.org.

Ballet Hispanico's engagement at the Harris is one of the offerings included in the Theater's Teen Arts Exploration Project; the Project has allowed the Theater to offer more in-depth and diverse arts experiences to its arts education partners and also to local community based organizations providing arts-based programming to underserved constituencies. Through the project, the Harris has also developed new relationships with local schools and made it possible for students focusing in the performing arts to attend Harris Theater Presents performances by world class artists. The Theater has developEd Strong relationships with the Chicago Academy for the Arts, the new Chicago High School for the Arts, and the Music Institute of Chicago among many others.
The Teen Arts Exploration Project is an expansion of the Theater's Access Tickets Program, which offers a minimum of 10% of family programming tickets free of charge to children and families through local social service and health agencies.
* * * All programs, prices and dates are subject to change. * * *

Opened in 2003, the Harris Theater's mission is to partner and collaborate with an array of Chicago's emerging and mid-sized performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929 and today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city's world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and International Artists and ensembles. To learn more about the season at the Harris Theater, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org or call the box office at 312-334-7777 to request a brochure.

For additional information about the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago's state-of-the art 1,470 seat performance venue, please visit www.harristheaterchicago.org.

The Harris Theater is pleased to announce that UBS is serving as the 2010-2011 Season Sponsor.

United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Harris Theater.

The Harris Theater gratefully acknowledges The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's support of the theater's collaborative partnerships.

The Harris Theater is partially supported by the CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

 

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