Ballet Hispánico

Arabesque is an elegant suite of dances set to the music of Spanish Composer, Enrique Granados. Traces of Flamenco influence are hinted at in the upper body as the dancers move through lush balletic contemporary phrase work.

World Premiere 1984, The Joyce Theatre
Choreography by Vicente Nebrada
Restaged by Linda Celeste Sims
Assisted by Johan Rivera
Music by Enrique Granados
Original Costume Design by Randy Barceló
Costume Reconstruction by Diana Ruettiger
Original Lighting Design by Donald Holder
Lighting Reconstruction by SK Watson

Inspired by the surrealist world of Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats, Sombrerísimo references the iconic sombreros (hats) found throughout the world that help to represent culture. Originally choreographed for an all-male cast, Sombrerísimo has evolved into a work that can also be performed by an all-female or mixed-gender cast. 

Premiere: 2013, New York City Center  
Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa  
Music by Le Banda Ionica featuring Macaco el Mono Loco, Titi Robin and soundscape by various artists  
Costume Design by Diana Ruettiger  
Lighting Design by Joshua Preston
Sombrerísimo was commissioned by New York City Center for the 2013 Fall for Dance Festival.  

Annabelle Lobez Ochoa, Choreographer - Bio
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has been choreographing since 2003 following a twelve-year dance career in various contemporary dance companies throughout Europe. She has created works for sixty dance companies worldwide including Ballet Hispánico, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Dutch National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Göteborg Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, BJM-Danse Montréal, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, to name a few. In 2012, her first full length work, "A Streetcar Named Desire", originally created for the Scottish Ballet, received the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for “Best Classical Choreography” and was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award for “Best New Dance Production” the following year. Annabelle is the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award 2019. 

Anitra Keegan, Ballet Mistress - Bio
Born in Seoul, Korea, Anitra Keegan is a seasoned dancer and educator that has trained in various prestigious institutions across the globe, including the Royal Academy of Dance in Yorkshire, England, the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and The Rock School for Dance Education. She has performed in both classical and contemporary works for several renowned dance companies, including BalletX, American Repertory Ballet and Ohio Ballet Company. In addition to her professional career, Ms. Keegan has also served as an adjunct ballet faculty member at several esteemed universities, including University of Arts, Drexel University, Temple University and Princeton University. With her vast experience and expertise in ballet, contemporary dance and education, Ms. Keegan also holds an Associate Degree in Business Management and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. From 2012 to 2018, she held the position of Capezio’s Master Pointe Specialist and traveled the continental United States and Canada as their Brand Ambassador, creating educational events for all Youth America Grand Prix competitions as well as designing custom pointe shoes for premiere ballet companies. In 2018 she joined Nimbus Dance in Jersey City, NJ as the Marketing Associate/Company Manager and was promoted three years later to Associate Artistic Director. Currently, Ms. Keegan serves as Ballet Mistress at Ballet Hispánico. 

In this portrait of the glamorous Havana of the 1950s during the heyday of Cuban music, dance and nightlife, the intoxicating rhythms of the conga, rumba, mambo and cha cha are brought to life by choreographer Pedro Ruiz, a native of Cuba, who has re-imagined a nightclub filled with the exhilarating sounds, colors and ambience of that golden era. 

World Premiere: 2000, The Joyce Theater  
Choreography by Pedro Ruiz  
Music by Israel Lopez, Rubén Gonzales, A.K. Salim, Pérez Prado and Francisco Repilado  
Costume Design by Emilio Sosa  
Costume Construction by Ghabriello Negron  
Lighting Design by Donald Holder 
The original Club Havana production was made possible, in part, by gifts from Jody and John Arnhold, Dhuanne and Douglas Tansill and Caroline Newhouse; by grants from American Express Company and AT&T; and with commissioning funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.  

Pedro Ruiz, Choreographer - Bio
Pedro Ruiz is a renowned international choreographer and dancer, born and trained in Cuba and Venezuela. In a 21-year career with Ballet Hispánico as one of its principal dancers, Ruiz choreographed three critically acclaimed ballets for the company. Clive Barnes of The New York Post called "Guajira", “an especially fine work of form and structure.” Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times called “Club Havana”, “an explosion of sensuous pure dance.” In 2022, he premiered La Estancia for the New Jersey Ballet, alongside cellist YoYo Ma and Wynton Marsalis at NJPAC. Ruiz has received The Bessie Award, the Choo-San Goh Award, The Cuban Artists Fund Award and The Joyce Foundation Award. In 2010, he founded The Windows Project–a cultural exchange program celebrating dance between the U.S. and Cuba. Ruiz has been the subject of two PBS documentaries: “Pas de Deux” and “Coming Home”, nominated for a NY Emmy Award. His “Club Havana” was featured in “Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.”