The Ballet Hispanico at the Joyce Theater

Emily Fishbaine

Last night I went to see the closing performance of the Ballet Hispanico's fall season at the Joyce. I know it's not theatre, per se, but I wanted to mention it as an interesting and worthwhile performing arts company. Tina Ramirez founded it in 1970 as an educational and producing organization, and it now has three branches: the Company, the School of Dance, and Primeros Pasos, a dance education program. Originally founded to provide underprivileged Latino youth with training, performing, and creative opportunities, it is now an internationally recognized company that has an annual turn at the Joyce Theatre (8th Ave and 19th St.).

The training program includes influences including classical ballet, contemporary or modern dance, and Spanish dance techniques. All of these techniques were visible in last night's performance of Club Havana, Caravanserai, Tito on Timbales, and a special tribute performance to long-standing company member, Irene Hogarth-Cimino. Club Havana was a tribute to another era, full of nostalgia for a time when Americans could jet down to Cuba for a romantic weekend. The piece was broken into sections according to various Latin dances. I found that it referenced certain stereotypes, from, as mentioned before, an earlier era; it was a crowd pleaser meant to warm up an audience of mixed age and background. But the dancers soon busted through these confines with the sheer glee of performing. The piece was a lot of fun, and as it progressed, the choreography loosened a bit and gave various individual performers the opportunity to shine. The second piece was set to the music of Carlos Santana, but I didn't recognize his style at all until about midway through. It was the experimental piece of the evening, starting with the dancers under a thin plastic tarp that they were manipulating to the undulating music. I thought, oh, no... not another new-agey interpretive-dance dance piece. The costumes were body suits in various neutral colors with ribcage-like shapes sewn on. However, as the piece progressed, it became more and more complicated, with several virtuosic moments, and many, many lifts. The partnering was notable, showing off the unusual strength of both partners: these were not your typical classical lifts. The final piece, Tito on Timbales was a joyous tribute to the music of Tito Puente. I found the choreography to be bland, but enjoyed the swirling costumes, the fabulous live band (The Latin Percussion Rhythm Ensemble), and a few stand-out dancers. Finally, Irene Hogarth-Cimino danced a touching solo as a tribute to her career. I can only assume that she is bringing her career to an end based on her age and the emotion with which she took her bow, though I have no real information on this-- that is only my guess.

Standouts of the evening: Candice Monet McCall did everything with incredible precision and couldn't keep a smile off her face. Natalia Alonso didn't seem to break a sweat and her lithe flexibility bordered on dangerous. Eric Rivera was a slick, sexy, and precise veteran. Nicholas Villeneuve seemed a tired by the end, and his dancing was sometimes cautious, but his spirit shone through, and he was clearly a supportive partner. Rodney Hamilton and Angelica Burgos also had standout moments. All of the dancers had great moments, but overall, the dancing was inconsistant, and I could see some dancers thinking about the choreography, or struggling to make it through a difficult passage. However, as a New Yorker familiar with some of the best and most polished dancing in the world, it was actually an interesting experience to watch some dancers struggle where we expect them to be flawless. Frequently, we almost don't acknowledge dancers as human like the rest of us; their bodies seem to be otherworldly. That humanity and that visible struggle was new, and appropriate for a company affiliated with a teaching organization. I hope to see them next year or the year after and am curious to see the improvement of various company members. This plucky company is worth supporting, for both its dancing and its mission.