With the recent reopening of the remodeled Egg, it’s poetically perfect that this month will bring an appearance by the Ballet Hispanico New York at the venue. After all, it was none other than the celebrated Manhattan company that performed at the Egg’s grand opening in 1978. The troupe will make its return on March 20 with “CARMEN.maquia,” an homage to the lead character of Bizet’s immortal opera “Carmen.”
Founded in 1970 by Tina Ramirez to celebrate the beauty of Latino cultures through dance, Ballet Hispanico, says the Washington Post, “dances with elegance and lyricism.” The company, which is the largest Latino cultural organization in the US, has been widely praised for the ways in which it engages audiences with the art of Latino and Latina choreographers and opens a platform for new cultural dialogue, nurturing and inspiring dancers of all ages.
“The opera was created by two Frenchmen who were inspired by the exoticism of Spanish culture, which was very much a trend of that time,” says Eduardo Vilaro, BHNY’s current artistic director and CEO about the new production. “They immortalized us through their lens, and for me, it raises questions about how we’ve been ‘othered’ through storytelling. In the Latine world, we often grapple with representations that we reject. Carmen, for example, is often reduced to a harlot who uses her sexuality for power, but I see her as far more complex…We’re honoring a narrative that has woven itself into the cultural fabric of so many, and we get to bring our unique perspective to it. There’s a little bit of Carmen in all of us, whether we’re men or women. She represents perseverance and a challenge to the status quo—qualities we can all relate to.”
Ballet Hispanico New York will perform “CARMEN.maquia” at the Egg’s Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre in Albany on March 20 at 7pm. Tickets are $42.44 and $52.97.
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