During this semester, I have learned a lot about ballet, and how it is a very specific type of dance that consists of graceful and fluid movements. That’s why I found Ballet Hispanico to be so interesting. The company just started their two-week season of performances at the Joyce Theatre, but unfortunately, the New York Times did not give them such a good review (which you can read here).
I was able to find a promo for their 2010 season on youtube, which you can find below. Judging by the promo, I would have to say that Ballet Hispanico looks like a very exciting “contemporary ballet” company. Although their style of dance is called ballet, I recognized a lot of movements that reminded me more of modern dance, similar to the Alvin Ailey Dance Company or even Parson’s Dance. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that they don’t use pointe shoes, which is practically used all the time in traditional ballet. Some of the dancers in the promo for Ballet Hispanico do go on point, except they are barefoot, which looks a lot harder. Although there are a lot of movements that are very different from traditional ballet, some of the movements are very fluid and elegant, which shows that some aspects of traditional ballet are still present in their performances.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlSY-TVwOjU
There is an incredible wealth of style and substance in the dance world. I’m glad your interest is piqued! Nice post.