New York dance company Ballet Hispánico kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month on a celebratory note. Known for honoring and enriching Latinx culture through the power of movement, the company was named an inaugural participant in the Doris Duke Foundation’s Performing Arts Technologies Lab on Thursday.
It takes bold ideas and even bolder actions to make a lasting impact in a field built on creativity. The Lab presents a chance to reimagine what is possible in the performing arts arena by supporting the convergence of arts and tech. Ballet Hispánico is one of 20 selected from a competitive applicant pool of 745 trailblazing artists, technologists, and organizations spanning 43 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The awarding of Ballet Hispánico, specifically, encourages conversations about culture and tradition in a way that allows dance to continue progressing toward accessibility and representation while simultaneously propelling it into the digital age.
This grant is a one-of-a-kind accelerator designed to support groundbreaking projects that redefine the performing arts. Ballet Hispánico’s Instituto Coreográfico will collaborate with Cornell Tech’s Backslash to fund the new Innovación Fellowship in Dance & Emergent Technology. The fellowship introduces an opportunity to explore how technology can access, enhance, and expand the rich traditions of Latinx dance. Working alongside Cornell Tech, the selected fellow will have access to advanced resources throughout their studies.
Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispánico, expressed his gratitude to the Doris Duke Foundation, acknowledging how their belief in the company “support[s] the creation of new works by our family of choreographers, ensuring that we are at the forefront of dance and cultural programming.”
Through this fellowship, Ballet Hispánico aims to develop and employ advantageous technologies for social and educational impact in artistic environments. By empowering artists and researchers and uplifting Latinx voices, The Lab equips the company to pave the way for the next evolution of dance.
“These aren’t just technology projects. They are ambitious proposals to radically innovate in the performing arts — how they are made, how we experience them, and who they are for,” said Sam Gill, president and CEO of the Doris Duke Foundation, commenting on the effect of this landmark distinction.
The cross-pollination of artistic and technological fields creates space for elevation, intersectionality, and exchange. By embracing emergent technologies, Ballet Hispánico looks forward to challenging the boundaries of dance and leading a conversation on how technology can serve as a tool for movement-based cultural storytelling. With the Innovación Fellowship, the company hopes to bring Latinx and Hispanic dance into new spaces, reaching audiences far beyond the traditional stage.
A sign of the times, the enthusiasm of this development is palpable. As Doris Duke Foundation Arts Program Director Ashley Ferro-Murray noted, “The over 700 applications we received for this program sent us a clear message: performing artists are ready and excited to push the boundaries of what technology can do.”
Supported by the Doris Duke Foundation, this new chapter in dance and technology promises to unlock experiences that challenge perceptions, spark creativity, and celebrate the power of cultural fusion.
The news of this award comes as the company wraps up their fall tour. Don’t miss this opportunity to see them perform in Fairfax, VA, and Louisville, KY through October 12th. Can’t make the show? Join them for the 2024 Celebración Latina Family Day on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 9:00 am—4:30 pm at the Ballet Hispánico headquarters in New York City.
