Partnership Aims to Expand Equity and Latino Representation in Classical Ballet with Workshops, Mainstage Performance Access, Studio Exchanges, and Scholarship Opportunities
For Immediate Release: November 7, 2026
Contacts:
Peyton Mazza (peyton.mazza@coloradoballet.org)
Liza Lorenz (liza.lorenz@coloradoballet.org)
DENVER, CO (November 6, 2026) — For the fourth year, Colorado Ballet and ArtistiCO continue a multi-faceted partnership aimed at reducing systemic barriers, increasing Latino representation in classical ballet, and providing structured pathways for young dancers into professional arts training.
The cross-institutional initiative combines community access, technical training, and institutional exchange. By bridging Colorado Ballet’s professional facilities with ArtistiCO’s leadership in dance education and Mexican folklórico, the partnership creates a tangible pipeline for Latino youth to engage with high-level classical dance.
Through an intentional series of conversations across each organization’s departments, staff discuss key areas of operation, including marketing, production, and other areas of artistic and administrative operations. These conversations inform the goals and programming of the partnership and help each organization learn from one another.
“Our ongoing partnership with ArtistiCO is a critical step forward in expanding representation and building real, lasting equity within classical ballet,” said Sameed Afghani, Executive Director of Colorado Ballet. “By combining our resources and studio spaces, we are not just removing financial and structural barriers, we are cultivating a thriving pipeline for talented young dancers and enriching the cultural landscape of Denver’s arts community.”
“From the start, we wanted this to be an authentic, two-sided partnership, with each organization learning from and enriching the other,” said José Rosales, CEO of ArtistiCO. “For many Latino families, the barriers to ballet are not only financial; they include language, representation, and simply not knowing that dance can be a profession. Together with Colorado Ballet, we have built meaningful entry points at every stage, from a family’s first night at the ballet to bilingual classes and scholarships at Colorado Ballet Academy. Today, our students can see themselves reflected in the world of professional dance and recognize that these opportunities are within their reach. We are creating pathways for the next generation of Latino dancers to pursue professional training and careers in the arts, while remaining deeply connected to their culture and heritage. We want them to envision themselves not only in the audience, but on stage as the professional artists and artistic leaders of tomorrow.”
The Colorado Ballet and ArtistiCO partnership is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Bank Foundation.
Day of Dance
To introduce students to classical technique and traditional cultural dance in a welcoming, low-pressure environment, Colorado Ballet and ArtistiCO are collaborating on six distinct “Day of Dance” events during the 26-27 season. All Day of Dance instruction is bilingual, an especially meaningful feature of the partnership, as language accessibility is one of the primary ways both organizations are able to welcome and engage Latino families.
- Citywide Arts Events with Denver Public Schools: Colorado Ballet is hosting five community outreach events where teaching artists from both organizations share the studio. Colorado Ballet instructors introduce students to various styles of dance including ballet, jazz and creative movement, and ArtistiCO artists teach Mexican folklórico dance. The series kicked off in October with three elementary school sessions and continues with a high school session in December and a final middle school session in February.
- Colorado Ballet Day of Dance: A specialized Day of Dance is hosted at Colorado Ballet’s studios specifically for ArtistiCO’s students. This program provides high-caliber classical ballet instruction alongside cross-genre technique exchanges, designed to broaden dancers’ technical perspectives, build versatility, and inspire them to pursue advanced dance pathways.
Scholarships to Colorado Ballet Academy
To create sustainable, direct pathways into formal classical ballet training, the partnership includes dedicated scholarship support for young dancers. Following auditions in May 2026, six students were selected to receive training at Colorado Ballet Academy through three full-tuition and three partial-tuition scholarships. Colorado Ballet is actively developing ongoing community-building activities and family engagement initiatives to support these recipients throughout their training journey.
Ticket Exchange
To eliminate financial barriers and ensure equitable access for families, Colorado Ballet allocates discount and/or complimentary tickets for ArtistiCO families across all 26-27 mainstage productions.
About ArtistiCO
ArtistiCO is a Denver-based non-profit dance organization dedicated to building community, preserving cultural heritage, and advancing equity through dance education, educational outreach, and world-class performances. Founded by former principal dancers of the world-renowned Ballet Folklórico de México, ArtistiCO embraces a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates Mexican folk dance, classical ballet, and contemporary technique. Through its two dance academy locations, professional dance company, and community impact initiatives, ArtistiCO provides a safe, inclusive, and bilingual environment that fosters pre-professional artistic development and expands access for underserved youth. By promoting Latino culture and history through dance, ArtistiCO serves as a vital cultural bridge connecting local, national, and international audiences while creating accessible, equitable pathways within the performing arts sector. For more information, please visit https://www.artisticodance.org.
About Colorado Ballet
Presenting exceptional classical ballet and innovative contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement, Colorado Ballet continues to inspire and grow an increasingly diverse audience base in Denver, Colorado.
Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 66 years of excellence. As a world-class professional company serving more than 100,000 national and international patrons, Colorado Ballet presents 58 performances annually to sold-out audiences in the 2,000-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Company’s 43 professional dancers and 17 studio company dancers come from all over the world. Colorado Ballet’s The Armstrong Center for Dance, a 35,000-square-foot building, boasts eight state-of-the-art professional dance studios and amenities for the professional Company.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet performs classical ballet masterpieces, full-length story ballets, and its critically acclaimed repertory production MasterWorks, featuring varied works from neoclassical ballets to world premieres. The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy serves more than 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. Colorado Ballet’s Education & Community Engagement department provides high-quality educational opportunities for preschool through adults. The department makes 47,000 contacts each year with a variety of youth, families, teachers, and people with and without disabilities, reaching over 300 schools and organizations. For more information, please visit coloradoballet.org.
