Ballet Hispánico School of Dance announces ELEVATE! Summer Dance Boot Ca

Ballet Hispánico School of Dance announces ELEVATE! Summer Dance Boot Camp, one-week intensive for dancers of all levels. Registration is open until July 15. Ballet Hispánico offers world-class teachers with an unparalleled passion for dance education and various options for children and young artists to improve technique. With no audition required, the intensive is ideal for beginner to advanced dancers ages 7-18.

ELEVATE! Summer Dance Boot Camp (Ages 7-18)

1-Week Intensive | Monday, July 29 - Friday, August 2, 2024

As America’s leading Latino dance organization, Ballet Hispánico’s unique ELEVATE! Summer Dance Boot Camp, one-week intensive for dancers of all levels that want to elevate their ballet and Spanish Dance training. With targeted classes this program allows dancers to improve specific elements of their technique, such as Braceo, Marcajes, Footwork, and Castanets for Spanish Dance, and allegro, Pre-Pointe/Pointe and artistry for ballet. Additional classes may include Stretch, Conditioning, and Modern.

Classes include:

• Stretch & Conditioning - Dancers will be guided through stretching and conditioning exercises that support a dancer's flexibility, strength, and overall fitness. Information about injury prevention and tools to maintain their physical readiness in support of their dance training will be taught throughout the course.

• Modern - Classes focus on developing core dance principles, such as balance and coordination, while exploring diverse movement concepts. The curriculum includes spinal articulation, floorwork, movement dynamics, use of weight, and complex rhythms, building students who are adaptable to the contemporary landscape.

• Sevillanas, Braceo, and Marcajes - Students will learn various coplas of the Spanish folk dance, Sevillanas, including its history and festive tradition of Feria de Sevilla. This class will give students the opportunity to focus on strengthening the execution and precision of their marcaje and braceo technique for Spanish Dance.

• Footwork and Castanets for Spanish Dance - Spanish dance forms have been the backbone of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance since its founding in the early 1970s. This class will give students the opportunity to focus on strengthening the execution and precision of their footwork & castanets technique for Spanish Dance.

• Ballet and Pre-Pointe/Pointe - Students are introduced to a ballet curriculum that enables them to develop a holistic understanding of technical skills in a disciplined yet nurturing environment. Our ballet program emphasizes plasticity and virtuosity to create proficient and powerful dancers. Students will develop their pointe technique through strengthening and conditioning exercises specifically for pointe work. The class can be taken in both flat ballet shoes and pointe shoes, and will focus on developing the students' knowledge and execution of pre-pointe/pointe fundamentals.

For more information and to register, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org/school/summer-programs/elevate.

The Ballet Hispánico School of Dance is a leading center of excellence in dance education—serving over 1,000 students and celebrating more than 50 years of dance and culture—and offers accessible, high-quality dance training to students of all levels ages 2 through adult. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, it empowers students by offering a holistic approach to movement discovery, including pre-professional training and classes for the novice dancer.

Located in the heart of the Upper West Side and teaching the love of dance for over 50 years, the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance has multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary dance training for dancers of all ages, with class offerings including Ballet, Flamenco, Hip-Hop, Latin Rhythms, Afro Caribbean, Salsa, Jazz, Tap, and other modern and contemporary forms for early childhood through adult, led by a team of world-class professionals! This unique program offers class packages, providing students with individualized attention, guidance, and interaction with a large roster of experienced and engaging instructors. Pricing begins at $170 for a seven-week session and is $190-$205 for nine weeks. Drop-in classes are $25 per class. All levels are welcome in every style. Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance adult classes encourages participants to get in shape, brush up on their dance moves, and make new friends.

The Ballet Hispánico School of Dance is the direct link to the organization's values of access, opportunity, and pride for all students interested in dance and Latinx culture. For more information and to register, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org/school/auditions or email school@ballethispanico.org.

“At Ballet Hispánico, we’ve dedicated more than 50 years of service to making dance education accessible to our communities,” said Michelle Manzanales, Director, School of Dance, Ballet Hispánico. “Our mission to provide world class dance training and art making for dancers of all ages is deeply intertwined with our passion for lifting up our students and artists. We take pride in the fact that our mission and art is rooted in cultural representation, authenticity, and expression. More than simply dance education, we work to support the development of overall life skills: the ability to access joy, own and express one’s individual voice, tackle decision-making, thrive in teamwork, and truly understand hard work and its rewards.”

Ballet Hispánico was founded on the principle that everyone deserves dance, quality dance training and innovative performances. In creating the company in 1970, Tina Ramirez shattered a glass ceiling—challenging iconic representations and exposing the joy and celebration to be found in Latindad. Despite its humble origins, Ballet Hispánico immediately served as a catalyst for people in the Latine/x/Hispanic community, especially for Latino youth, to follow their dreams in the cultural world.

Today, as the largest Latino cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, Ballet Hispánico’s three main programs, the Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships bring together communities to celebrate the ever growing and multifaceted Hispanic diasporas. Ballet Hispánico’s New York City headquarters provide the space and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. It is a space that expands on Ramirez’s original vision by providing our community the ability to train through dedicated scholarship opportunities, exceptional dance training, inclusive cultural dialogues, and exemplary performances. No matter their background or identity, Ballet Hispánico welcomes and serves all, breaking stereotypes and celebrating the beauty and diversity of Hispanic cultures through dance.

Eduardo Vilaro joined Ballet Hispánico as a Company dancer in 1985 and became the organization’s second Artistic Director in 2009 and CEO in 2015. Vilaro is building on Ramirez’s impact: expanding and deepening a legacy of showcasing the depth of our cultures, and exposing the intersectionality found in the Hispanic diasporas by focusing on nurturing Hispanic leaders. Through programs like the Instituto Coreográfico, the Latinx Leaders Summit and Diálogos, Ballet Hispánico has become a center for artistic leadership development. As an immigrant himself, Mr. Vilaro’s vision of inclusion and cultural revelation has elevated a community from the margins to its place ingrained at the center of the American cultural landscape.

Ballet Hispánico is an ambassador for our community worldwide. The company has now performed for more than 2.5 million people in three continents and all fifty states. Our company engages audiences with the work of Latino and Latina choreographers, opens a platform for new cultural dialogue and nurtures inspiring young dancers of all ages. Through its exemplary artistry, Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies the Latin American experience in the field. As it looks to the future, Ballet Hispánico is committed to continue nurturing artists, teachers, students, arts leaders, families and communities through the power of dance.