Spice Up Valentine’s Weekend With Ballet Hispanico



Melt away the ice and snow with some Latin heat courtesy of Ballet Hispanico—the nation’s foremost Latin dance company—on February 13-14, 2010 at the Detroit Opera House.  Fusing ballet, modern, as well as Latin dance, Ballet Hispanico creates an entirely new style of dance filled with theatricality and passion.  The company’s Detroit repertory includes a blend of new and signature works.

Several new works will make their Detroit debut in this two-performance engagement.  With choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and music by Bart Rijnink, “Locked Up Laura” made its world premiere in August 2009 and explores the human struggle to maintain authenticity in the face of routine, as seen through the lens of an artist. After making its world premiere in December 2009, “Triptico” is a daredevil interpretation of Grammy Award-winning Oscar Hernandez’ commissioned score, taking an athletic approach to the romantic pas de deux and challenging traditional Latin rhythms with choreographer Ron De Jesus’ power, speed, and control of contemporary partnering.

Ballet Hispanico will also perform two signature works from their extensive repertory.  Pulsing with an infectious Cuban beat is “Club Havana,” which fuses with the rhythms of the conga, rumba, mambo and cha cha with choreography by Pedro Ruiz and music by Lopez, Gonzales, Salim, Prado and Repilado. With choreography by Vicente Nebrada and music by Luciano Perrone, “Batucada Fantastica” will conclude each performance with a rousing homage to the Brazilian Carnival with electrifying performances by eight soloists that culminates in a riot of ensemble dancing.

A special Valentine’s Weekend package, entitled “La noche del amor” or “night of love,” will be offered for the Saturday, February 13th performance at 7:30 p.m.  The package will include: two premium box seats tickets, two beverages and chocolate roses for $190.  Latin salsa classes will be offered on Friday, February 12 at 6 p.m. for free to Ballet Hispanico ticketholders and $25 for the general public.  All ages and skill levels are invited to attend.  The salsa class will take place in the Margo V. Cohen Center for Dance at the Detroit Opera House in the Ford Center for Arts and Learning on the 5th floor.

Celebrating over 40 years of artistic and cultural expression, Ballet Hispanico boasts a rich, diverse repertory of over 90 works and consists of thirteen dancers from around the world.  Having performed for over 2 million people, the company has performed in 11 countries on three continents.

Ballet Hispanico tickets at the magnificent Detroit Opera House, February 13-14, 2010 range from $29-$76 and are available at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48826), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464) or online at www.MichiganOpera.org.  Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster outlets by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.



2 Responses to “Spice Up Valentine’s Weekend With Ballet Hispanico”

1. Crissy says:

   February 2, 2010 at 6:28 am

   Yay! im super excited!
2. Rhonda says:

   February 3, 2010 at 6:39 am

   I’m really looking forward to this performance.