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Ballet HispánicoB announces The
55th Anniversary Emerald Gala honoring Henry
R. Muñoz III with
the Nuestra
Inspiración Award
– presented by Ana
Navarro, CNN
political commentator and co-host of The
View –
on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
The evening will begin with a reception and performance of CARMEN.maquia at
New York City Center,
W. 56th Street & 6 ½ Avenue, and continues with a tribute, dinner, and
dancing at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, 141 54th Street, NYC.
An
exhilarating evening of dance, glamour, and culture in
support of Ballet Hispánico’s Company, The Ballet Hispánico
School, and Community Arts Partnerships programming, the
evening begins with a performance in celebration of the
150th anniversary of Bizet’s beloved classic opera aCarmen. Gustavo
Ramírez Sansano’s full-length ballet CARMEN.maquia blends
explosive choreography with deep emotion. Inspired by the
Spanish art of tauromaquia (the
art of bullfighting), it captures Carmen’s raw power and
passion
through movement.
The Gala
Dinner following the performance is a beloved New York event
attended by some 500 leaders in the arts and business
communities and is truly a spectacular evening filled with
performances by the students from The Ballet Hispánico
School, and live music by three-time Grammy Award Winner,
Spanish Harlem Orchestra, that entices guests to take to the
dance floor.l
“As
a lifelong supporter of the arts, I am thrilled to be part
of Ballet Hispánico’s Emerald Gala. Their unwavering
commitment to artistic excellence and bringing Latino
stories to the stage is inspiring and essential. This honor
represents more than just personal recognition; it’s a
celebration of Latino artists, our rich culture, and the
transformative power of the arts to shape our society and
create understanding,” said Henry R. Muñoz III, Nuestra
Inspiración Award Honoree.
“Ballet
Hispánico’s Emerald Gala is both a celebration of Latine
heritage and a testament to the pride and resilience that
defines us. We look forward to an unforgettable evening
where art and community unite,” said Eduardo Vilaro,
Artistic Director & CEO, Ballet Hispánico.
“I
know I speak for our entire Board in expressing how proud we
are of all Ballet Hispánico has achieved in its 55 years.
Our Gala will be a glorious celebration in support of this
organization that has transformed the landscape of dance in
America by reflecting the stories of diverse Latine cultures
– including the breathtaking CARMEN.maquia featured
this season — through world-class dance education and the
introduction of new and innovative choreography,” said Kate
Lear, Chair, Ballet Hispánico Board of Directors.
Table and
ticket reservations include access to the pre-performance
reception and performance at New York City Center, followed
by dinner and dancing at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
Attire for the evening is creative black tie, and the theme is
“A Night at the Tropicana.”
To reserve your table or ticket, please contact Jessica
Ventura at jventura@ballethispanico.org
or visit
https://www.ballethispanico.org/support/events/2025-gala
Gala Performance Program:
CARMEN.maquia by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano
Gala Chairs:
Jody* &
John Arnhold
Richard
Feldman, SHS Foundation
Kate Lear*
& Jonathan LaPook
David Pérez*
Joseph
Wayland* & Patricia Verrilli
Gala Committee:
Melissa
Alvarez-Downing* and Stuart Downing
Arnold
Foundation
Avance
Investment Management
Bloomberg
Philanthropies
Michelle
Caruso-Cabrera* and Stephen Dizard
Judith &
James Dimon
Lois and
Richard England Foundation
Auri
Fenouil* and Sebastian Garcia
Matthew
Ford*
Greenberg
Traurig, LLP
Hiroko
Ito*
Robert
Kartheiser*
Sara* and Chris Lange
The Frances
Lear Foundation
Juana* and
Richard Maloof
Francisco
Morales Barrón* and Ruth Halvey
Henry R.
Muñoz III
O'Melveny
and Myers LLP
Brett* and
Lauren Perlmutter
Popular
Bank
Francisco
Ramírez-Valle* and Barry Abrams
Alison
Ritz*
Rita
Rodriguez*
Samuel H.
Scripps Foundation
Ronald
Shechtman* and Lynne Meadow
SOMOS
Community Care
Sullivan
and Cromwell LLP
Scott
Tegethoff* and Marcie Howey
Jose* and
Vanesa Tolosa
Marcos
Torres*
Sergio
Trujillo* and Jack Noseworthy
Danays
Vichot*
Vinson &
Elkins LLP
Charles
Wortman* and Laura Baldwin
Committee in formation
Board Member*
Henry R. Muñoz III is
described as the center of convergence across culture and
industry. Having launched national movements on behalf of
underserved and rising populations of the United States, he
supports the Latino community through awareness, educational
funding, and electoral empowerment. Known for his work as a
D.C. changemaker, Mr. Muñoz is also a Tony and Emmy winning
producer. A lifelong patron of the arts, Mr. Muñoz has
served on the Boards of some of the nation's most important
art institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution and
the Kennedy Center.
Eduardo Vilaro is
the Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. He was
named Artistic Director in 2009, becoming only the second
person to head the company since its founding in 1970, and
in 2015 was also named Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Vilaro
has infused Ballet Hispánico’s legacy with a bold brand of
contemporary dance that reflects America’s changing cultural
landscape.
Mr.
Vilaro’s philosophy of dance stems from a basic belief in
the power of the arts to change lives, reflect and impact
culture, and strengthen community. He considers dance to be
a liberating, non-verbal language through which students,
dancers, and audiences of all walks of life and diverse
backgrounds, can initiate ongoing conversations about the
arts, expression, identity, and the meaning of community.
His works
are catalysts for new dialogues about what it means to be an
American. He has created more than 40 ballets with
commissions that include the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago
Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival, the Lexington Ballet
and the Chicago Symphony.
A Ballet
Hispánico dancer and educator from 1988 to 1996, he left New
York, earned a master’s in interdisciplinary arts at
Columbia College Chicago and then embarked on his own act of
advocacy with a ten-year record of achievement as Founder
and Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in
Chicago.
The
recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Mr. Vilaro
received the Ruth Page Award for choreography in 2001; was
inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2016; and was
awarded HOMBRE Magazine’s 2017
Arts & Culture Trailblazer of the Year. In 2019, he received
the West
Side Spirit’s WESTY
Award, was honored by WNET for his contributions to the arts
and was the recipient of the James W. Dodge Foreign Language
Advocate Award.
Supporters
Transformational funding for Ballet Hispánico is generously
provided by the Ford Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, and
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Major support is provided
by the Howard Gilman Foundation; the Shubert Foundation;
Warner Music Group & Blavatnik Family Foundation Social
Justice Fund, a sponsored project of Moore Impact; the Fan
Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; the Tatiana Piankova
Foundation; and the Mosaic Network and Fund in The New York
Community Trust. Public support is provided by the New York
State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy
Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the New York
City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the
City Council under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams,
and
the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ballet
Hispánico is grateful to Artistic Sponsor Andrew Martin
Weber for generously supporting the restaging of CARMEN.maquia.
MetLife
Foundation is the Official Tour Sponsor of Ballet Hispánico.
Gustavo Ramírez Sansano was
Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater (2009-2013),
and now he combines his work as a freelance choreographer
with the direction of Titoyaya Dansa, the company he founded
in Spain with Veronica Garcia Moscardo in 2006. Sansano has
received numerous awards for his choreography, including
first prize at the Ricard Moragas Competition in Barcelona
(1997), Prix Dom Perignon Choreographic Competition in
Hamburg (2001), and Premio de Las Artes Escénicas de la
Comunidad Valenciana (2005). Sansano has been commissioned
to create works for many companies such as Nederlands Dans
Theater, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago, Luzerner tanz Theater, Ballet BC, The Hamburg
Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Hispánico, and Luna Negra
Dance Theater, among others.
Ballet Hispánico: A
Legacy of Artistic Excellence
Ballet Hispánico is
the nation’s leading Hispanic/Latine dance company and the
largest cultural institution of its kind in the United
States. For over five decades, it has been a beacon of
artistic excellence, celebrated for its bold repertory and
exceptional training programs. The Company has commissioned
over 100 original works, performed on the world’s most
prestigious stages, and inspired generations through
performances, education, and community engagement.
Recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the
Ford Foundation, Ballet Hispánico continues to redefine what
it means to be an American dance company.
NEW YORK CITY CENTER (Michael
S. Rosenberg, President & CEO) has played a defining role in
the cultural life of the city since 1943. The distinctive
Neo-Moorish building was founded by Mayor Fiorello La
Guardia as Manhattan’s first performing arts center with the
mission of making the best in theater, dance, and music
accessible to all audiences. This commitment continues today
through celebrated dance and musical theater series like the
Fall for Dance Festival and the Tony-honored Encores!
series; the annual season by Principal Dance Company Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theater; and new dance series Artists
at the Center. City Center welcomes audiences to experience
internationally acclaimed artists including Kyle Abraham,
Matthew Bourne, Ayodele Casel, Manhattan Theatre Club,
Nederlands Dans Theater, and Twyla Tharp, on the same stage
where legends made their mark. Dedicated to a culture built
on the values of curiosity, collaboration, accessibility,
and inclusivity, City Center’s dynamic programming, art
exhibitions, and studio events are complemented by education
and community engagement programs that bring the performing
arts to thousands of New York City students, teachers, and
families every year. NYCityCenter.org
About MetLife Foundation
At MetLife
Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic
mobility for underserved and underrepresented communities
around the world. We collaborate with nonprofit
organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic
focus areas – economic inclusion, financial health and
resilient communities – while engaging MetLife employee
volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was
established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of
corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its
inception, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $1
billion to strengthen communities where MetLife has a
presence. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.MetLife.org.
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