Although I am very far from an expert in the sphere of dance, one does not have to be an expert to appreciate the amazing spectacle that is Ballet Hispanico. It is very rare that I even watch dance, but when I watched a few videos on youtube of ballet hispanico, I couldn’t help watching in amazement as the dancers exhibited a level of skill and technique that someone very seldom has a chance to see and experience.  In fact, I was so impressed, that I decided to do a little research into Ballet Hispanico to learn more about their origins and what makes them so unique.

Ballet Hispanico was founded right here in Manhattan, New York in 1970 by Tina Ramirez, a Latin American (specifically of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent) dancer and choreographer. The theater, or company as it is referred to, is described, both self-proclaimed and defended by thousands upon thousands of appreciators, is the “foremost dance representative of Hispanic culture in the United States, according to the Ballet Hispanico website.

What makes Ballet Hispanico so unique, in my opinion is the fact that how it encompasses, amalgamates, and combines so many different dance forms. Tina Ramirez, herself, wished for the Ballet HIspanico Company to serve as a medium that lets the Hispanic Culture make its way into the world of American dance. To achieve this goal, Ramirez recruited dozens of choreographers from various latin American countries, each of which brought with them a different style of dance. From modern dance to jazz to the obvious ballet, the choreographers coalesce all these different dance styles to form a seemingly new and never before seen form of dance performances. What I noticed to be among the most unique, if not the most unique, is the fact that some of the dance styles are so different that it is difficult to imagine how they can be combined to form such an amazing end result. For instance, the speed of samba is so eloquently tied in with the grace of ballet in the video I watched that I was very surprised to see the two seemingly polar opposite dance styles come together to form such a remarkable product. However, what I see is the most astonishing thing about the graceful and flawless amalgamation of the different dance styles is the fact that the concept of altering the form of ballet contradicts and challenges many societal norms and popular existing conceptions that most people have about ballet as a dance and artform, but still manages to earn such an enormous base of followers and to inspire thousands of enjoyers of dance, both of Hispanic origins and otherwise, like myself for instance.