Ballet Hispánico

Buenas noches, good evening! Welcome to Ballet Hispánico’s Noche de Oro, a celebration of 50 incredible years of building new ways of exploring the Latinx culture through dance.

Tonight’s program starts with “Arabesque,” a work originally choreographed in 1984, set to Spanish composer Enrique Granados’s Twelve Spanish Dances. The ballet exemplifies the company’s aesthetic during the 1970s, when the company was experimenting with fusing flamenco with the classical ballet vocabulary. The choreographer, Vicente Nebrada, was one of only a few Latinx choreographic voices in the classical ballet world at that time. We honor Mr. Nebrada’s legacy and the impact of Ballet Hispánico’s mission to create a platform for Hispanic choreographers through this reconstruction.

“Tiburones,” which translates to “The Sharks,” is a work in direct response to the re-emergence of the musical West Side Story in our entertainment world today. In its day, West Side Story was an extraordinary piece of theater, as it was the first time the Puerto Rican community was featured in a major motion picture. While the musical gave us the incredible music of Leonard Bernstein and the captivating choreography of Jerome Robbins, it also left cultural scars for generations of Latinx people. “Tiburones” seeks to question the gaze of who gets to tell a story, while dispelling the iconic stereotypes that continue to haunt the Latinx community to this day. The work layers our vision of taking back our narrative through the voice of a Latina choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Spanish choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano is known for his athletic and innovative movement vocabulary. In “18+1,” Mr. Sansano delves deep into the music of Pérez Prado, the Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer, and arranger who popularized the mambo in the 1950s. Created during his nineteenth year as a working choreographer, Mr. Sansano creates an explosive musical celebration that captures the essences of our beloved Cuban music.

Thank you for joining us this evening in celebration of Ballet Hispánico’s 50 years. Enjoy the show, disfruten!

Eduardo Vilaro
Artistic Director & CEO

EDUARDO VILARO (Artistic Director & CEO) is the Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico (BH). He was named BH's 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.

Born in Cuba and raised in New York from the age of six, Mr. Vilaro’s own choreography is devoted to capturing the Latin American experience in its totality and diversity, and through its intersectionality with other diasporas. 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 degree 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. In August 2020 City & State Magazine included Mr. Vilaro in the inaugural Power of Diversity: Latin 100 list. In January 2021 Mr. Vilaro was recognized with a Compassionate Leaders Award, given to leaders who are courageous, contemplative, collaborative, and care about the world they will leave behind. He is a well-respected speaker on such topics as diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts, as well as on the merits of the intersectionality of cultures and the importance of nurturing and building Latinx leaders.

TINA RAMIREZ (Founder) founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970 and served as artistic director until 2009. Under her direction, over 45 choreographers created works for the company, many of international stature and others in the early stages of their career.

Ms. Ramirez was born in Venezuela, the daughter of a Mexican bullfighter and grandniece to a Puerto Rican educator who founded the island’s first secular school for girls. Her performing career included international touring with the Federico Rey Dance Company, the Broadway productions of Kismet and Lute Song and the television adaptation of Man of La Mancha.

In recognition of her enduring contributions to the field of dance, Ms. Ramirez received the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest cultural honor, in 2005. Juilliard awarded her an honorary degree, Doctor of Fine Arts, in 2018. Numerous other awards include the Honor Award from Dance/USA (2009), the Award of Merit from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (2007), the Dance Magazine Award (2002), the Hispanic Heritage Award (1999), a Citation of Honor at the 1995 New York Dance and Performance Awards (the “Bessies”), the NYS Governor's Arts Award (1987), and the NYC Mayor’s Award of Honor for Arts & Culture (1983).

JOHAN RIVERA (Associate Artistic Director and Latinx Dance Institute Director) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and began his dance training at the School for the Performing Arts, PR, under the direction of Waldo Gonzalez. Johan graduated magna cum laude with his BFA from the New World School of the Arts/University of Florida in 2013. While there, he had the opportunity to perform the works of Robert Battle, Kyle Abraham, Peter London, Daniel Lewis, Merce Cunningham and Doris Humphrey as well as simultaneously working with local dance companies in Miami, Florida. During his tenure with the Ballet Hispánico company, Johan had the pleasure of performing the ballets of such choreographers as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Pedro Ruiz, and Eduardo Vilaro. In addition, he was a vital member of Ballet Hispánico’s Community Arts Partnerships team as a teaching artist while on tour and at home in NYC. Aspiring to further his knowledge and skills, Johan ventured into the world of higher education. In 2016 he received a Master of Arts in Executive Leadership with high honors, an achievement he dearly treasures as the first member of his family to have this opportunity. Upon graduation, Johan had the honor of mentoring and directing second company BHdos in the fall of 2016 before taking over as rehearsal director for Ballet Hispánico’s main company. After four seasons as the rehearsal director, Johan transitioned to Ballet Hispánico's marketing department as the digital marketing manager, playing a key role in the development and creation of the organization's virtual programming. Now, as the associate artistic director and Latinx Dance Institute director, Johan supports the artistic curation for the company and Ballet Hispánico's thought leadership programming alongside Artistic Director and CEO, Eduardo Vilaro.

LINDA CELESTE SIMS (Rehearsal Director) began training at Ballet Hispánico School of Dance and graduated from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. Ms. Sims has received the 2016 Inspiración Award from Ballet Hispánico, has won Outstanding Performance at the 2014 New York Dance and Performance Awards (“The Bessies”) and most recently, she received the 2017 Dance Magazine Award. Ms. Sims has been featured on the cover of Dance Magazine, and on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Mo'Nique Show, Live with Kelly and Michael, and The Today Show. Mrs. Sims has appeared at the White House Series, Youth America Grand Prix, Vail International Dance Festival, and galas in Budapest and Vienna, and originated featured roles by Judith Jamison, Donald Byrd, Alonso King, Dwight Rhoden, Ronald K. Brown, Mauro Bigonzetti, Jennifer Muller, Karole Armitage, Lynn Taylor Corbett, Rennie Harris, Christopher L. Huggins, and Azure Barton. She teaches master classes around the world and is a certified Zena-Rommett Floor-Barre instructor. Mrs. Sims danced for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1996-2020 and was also the assistant to the rehearsal director.

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA (Choreographer) 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 Nacíonal 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 was the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award 2019.

VICENTE NEBRADA (Choreographer) was a founding member of the Harkness Ballet where he began his choreographic career in 1964. In 1975 he became the founding artistic director and resident choreographer of the International Ballet of Caracas, creating numerous ballets and solidifying his reputation as an internationally acclaimed choreographer. In 1984 he was appointed artistic director of the National Ballet of Caracas, which he directed until 2002. His artistic support as resident choreographer helped establish Ballet Florida in Palm Beach in the mid-1990s. His works continue to be performed around the world and have been danced by more than 30 companies such as, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and Ballet Hispánico.

GUSTAVO RAMÍREZ SANSANO (Choreographer) 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.

CHRISTOPHER BLOOM is from Fredrick County, VA, where he began dancing at the Blue Ridge Studio for the Performing Arts and the Vostrikov Academy of Ballet. Chris graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program in 2012. He has performed with numerous companies such as Parsons Dance, Lydia Johnson, and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Chris joined Ballet Hispánico in 2013 and has originated roles in new works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edgar Zendejas, Miguel Mancillas, Fernando Melo, Michelle Manzanales, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, and Eduardo Vilaro. This is Chris’s ninth season with Ballet Hispánico.

JARED BOGART is originally from Crystal River, FL, where he spent his early years training at his parents’ dance school. He graduated with a BFA in dance from Jacksonville University and trained during his summers at the Orlando Ballet School, Archcore40, Florida Dance Masters, and Florida Dance Festival. While in Jacksonville, Jared worked with artists such as Jennifer Muller, Robert Moses, Jennifer Archibald, and Stephanie Martinez. This is Jared’s fifth season with Ballet Hispánico.

LEONARDO BRITO is from Saquarema, Brazil, and trained with Projeto Primeiro Passo, before training at Escola Estadual de Danca Maria Olenewa, Center of Art Nós da Dança, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Miami City Ballet School, and The Ailey School. Leonardo has performed with such companies as Mariinsky Ballet, Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Emotions Physical Theater, Dance Theater of Florida, Alvin Ailey, and Ailey II. In 2016 Leonardo was awarded the III Brazilian Modern Dance Congress and he has performed works by Robert Battle, Jennifer Archibald, Troy Powell, Jae Man Joo, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Amy Hall Garner, Melanie Futorian, Ray Mercer and Bradley Shelver. He has also made appearances in Tommy Hilfiger Pride Campaign 2019, Out magazine’s May 2019 issue, and Pose FX television series season 2. This is Leonardo’s third season with the company.

SIMONE CAMERESI was born in Italy and raised in Anaheim Hills, CA, where she trained at Murrieta Dance Project, Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy, and Mather Dance Company. In 2013 and 2014 she was selected as a modern dance semifinalist in the Music Center Spotlight Awards, and in 2014 she was also selected as a YoungArts Foundation merit winner. She is currently working toward her BFA in dance and a minor in New Media and Digital Design at Fordham University and The Ailey School. This is Simone’s third season with Ballet Hispánico.

ANTONIO CANGIANO was born in Naples, Italy. He began his dance training at age sixteen and was awarded scholarships from Ateneo Danza (Forli), Accademia Normanna (Naples), and the Martha Graham Dance School in New York City. Cangiano has danced for the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Dardo Galletto Dance, Acsi Ballet, and Graham 2. In 2014 he made his first appearance at the Italian International Dance Festival dancing in a homage to Luigi, the “master of jazz,” by Dianna Folio, and received the Festival’s Rising Star Award in 2017. In 2016 he was selected to dance at the Martha Graham Dance Company’s 90th Anniversary Season at New York City Center. This is Antonio’s fourth season with Ballet Hispánico.

SHELBY COLONA grew up in Houston, TX, where she graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) with honors in dance. After graduating, she attended The Ailey School’s certificate program in 2011-2013. In addition to her education, she’s performed works by Robert Battle, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Billy Bell, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Graciela Daniele, among others and has performed with such companies as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center, Lunge Dance Collective and BHdos prior to joining Ballet Hispánico. This is Shelby’s seventh season with Ballet Hispánico.

AMANDA LAUREN DEL VALLE was born and raised in Miami, FL, where she began her early training with Miami Youth Ballet under the direction of Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris. She continued her training at the New World School of the Arts with Mary Lisa Burns as the dean of dance. She graduated in 2016 with training in classical ballet, Horton, Limón, and the Graham technique. Amanda then continued her studies at Point Park University where she received her BFA under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. There she had the honor of working with Jennifer Archibald, Jessica Lang, Robert Priore, Christopher Huggins, and Yin Yue. This is Amanda’s first season with Ballet Hispánico.

ALEXANDER HAQUIA grew up in Morris County, NJ, and began his dance training at Nicole’s Broadway Dance Company at the age of 15. He is currently a student in the Ailey/Fordham BFA program and has previously studied at the Taylor School, ABT, and The School at Jacob’s Pillow as a summer intensive student. Alexander has worked with choreographers including Francesca Harper, Twyla Tharp, Helen Simoneau, Ronnie Favors, Pedro Ruiz, Ray Mercer, and Yusha Marie Sorzano. He has performed at the Holland Dance Festival as well as in Memoria with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This is Alexander’s first season with Ballet Hispánico.

PAULO HERNANDEZ-FARELLA is a first-generation Salvadoran American from Los Angeles, CA. After four years at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, they attended the University of Southern California on a full-ride scholarship. In just four years, Paulo graduated with both a BFA in dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and a master’s in public administration from the USC Price School of Public Policy. Paulo has been a scholarship student for a multitude of renowned schools such as The Juilliard School Summer Intensive, the Joffrey Ballet’s International Intensive, and Alonzo King LINES Intensive. Paulo was also one of seven 2016/2017 dance scholars with Nigel Lythgoe’s Dizzyfeet Foundation. During their career Paulo has studied and performed the works of Forsythe, Kylián, Duato, Balanchine, Graham, Taylor, Petipa, Lopez-Ochoa, Rhoden, Cerrudo, Andrea Miller, Aszure Barton, and choreographed their own original work. This is Paulo’s third season with Ballet Hispánico.

CORI LEWIS was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. Her dance training began at Lusher Charter School and the New Orleans Ballet Association. She received her BFA in dance with a minor in mathematics/computer science from SUNY Purchase College in May 2020. Lewis has performed works by choreographers such as José Limón, George Balanchine, Eduardo Vilaro, Ronald K. Brown, Dwight Rhoden, Martha Graham and David Parsons. She performed for children across the greater New York area with BHdos for the 2018 season. This is Cori’s first season with Ballet Hispánico.

LAURA LOPEZ is from Miami, FL, where she trained at Patricia Penenori Dance Center. She attended New World School of the Arts High School where she continued her dance training. Lopez was a 2013 Young Arts finalist and was nominated as a Presidential Scholar. In April 2016 she graduated New World College, where she received her BFA in dance from the University of Florida. Lopez has danced professionally with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Ballet Hispánico’s BHdos. She has attended summer programs at Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Miami City Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Jacob’s Pillow and has performed the works of Eduardo Vilaro, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Robert Moses, and many more. This is Laura’s fourth season with Ballet Hispánico.

HUGO PIZANO OROZCO (Apprentice) was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and moved to New Mexico at an early age where he began his training with NDI-NM. He attended the New Mexico School for the Arts under the direction of Garrett Anderson. Hugo is currently a fourth-year dancer at The Juilliard School, where he will graduate with a BFA in dance in 2022. During his time at Juilliard, he has had the pleasure of learning repertoire by Forsythe, Balanchine, Ratmansky, Taylor, Cunningham, Kylian, and Donald McKayle. Additionally, he has been a part of new creations by Marcus Jarrell Willis, Jamar Roberts, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Ohad Naharin. This is Hugo’s first season with Ballet Hispánico.

OMAR RIVÉRA is originally from Los Angeles, CA. After moving to Dallas, TX, Rivéra trained at Prodigy Dance & Performing Arts Centre under the direction of Camille Billelo. He graduated from the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts and was a part of HSPVA’s dance ensembles Repertoire Dance Company I & II, where he performed a variety of works by choreographers such as Robert Battle and Desmond Richardson. Rivéra was a scholarship student at the University of Arizona School of Dance and graduated with a BFA in dance in 2018. Rivéra was one of eight men selected to perform at The Joyce Theater for the José Limón International Dance Festival, and danced works by guest artists including Christopher Wheeldon’s The American, Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Boiling Point, and Bella Lewitzky’s Meta4, among others. This is Omar’s fourth season with Ballet Hispánico.

GABRIELLE SPRAUVE was born in Queens, NY, and raised in Savannah, GA, where she attended Savannah Arts Academy for the Performing Arts, studying at the Ailey School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance during the summers. She earned her BFA at Marymount Manhattan College in 2017. While at Marymount, Gabrielle performed works by Larry Keigwin, Alexandra Damiani, Norbert De La Cruz, Paul Taylor, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Adam Barruch, and Jo Strømgren. This is Gabrielle’s fifth season with Ballet Hispánico.

DANDARA VEIGA is originally from Brazil, where she began her dance training at Projeto Social Primeiros Passos before training as a scholarship student at Escola de danca Ballerina. She also studied at Studio Margarita Fernandez in Argentina, Opus Ballet in Italy, and Annarella Academia de Ballet e Danca in Portugal. Dandara continued her training as a scholarship student at The Ailey School in 2016/2017. She has participated in dance festivals around the world and received scholarships from San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West. She has performed for the Vibe Competition, Assamblé International, Harlem Arts Festival, and the Ailey Spirit Gala. She has had the opportunity to work with artists Charla Gen, Robert Battle, Caridad Martinez, Claudia Zaccari, Jean Emille, Ray Mercer, Raul Candal, and Melanie Futorian. This is Dandara’s fifth season with Ballet Hispánico.

LENAI ALEXIS WILKERSON is from Washington, D.C., where she attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. Lenai graduated from the University of Southern California as a Glorya Kaufman scholar with a BFA in dance and a minor in political science in 2019. She is one of the seven 2016/17 dance scholars to be awarded a scholarship from Nigel Lythgoe’s DizzyFeet Foundation. At USC Kaufman, Lenai performed the works of Forsythe, Kylián, Graham, Marshall, Barton, Balanchine, Grimes, and Rhoden, among others. Additionally, she has trained seasonally with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Bolshoi Ballet, Miami City Ballet and with legendary ballerina Suzanne Farrell. This is Lenai’s third season with Ballet Hispánico.

MARIANO ZAMORA GONZÁLEZ (Apprentice) is a Costa Rican artist residing in New York City. He began his training at Jazzgoba Dance Academy and later continued at CityDance School & Conservatory in Washington, D.C. He accepted a scholarship to pursue a BFA in dance from the University of Southern California under the direction of Jodie Gates. Mariano also acquired a minor in architecture to combine his visual and kinesthetic talents with functionality of form and space. He is eager to explore various platforms, on concert stages, commercially, and through media entertainment, as his artistic career takes off. This is Mariano’s first season with Ballet Hispánico.

RANDY BARCELÓ (Costume Designer) was a multi-talented Cuban-born designer and artist. He was the first Hispanic person to be nominated as best costume designer for a Tony Award® for his designs for Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972. Barceló designed costumes for many other Broadway productions including Lenny, The Magic Show, and Ain’t Misbehavin’ among others. He also worked with several dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ballet Hispánico, where he worked on his final project in 1994, Alberto Alonso’s Si Señor! Es Mi Son!

SAVANNAH BELL (Lighting Designer) is a New York-based lighting designer and production electrician. She often spends time away from home working at such places as Okoboji Summer Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Santa Fe Opera, and touring the nation with Broadway musicals. Her past dance opportunities include the Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Jody Oberfelder, and Green Space Studios.

GHABRIELLO FERNANDO (Costume Designer) is a fashion designer from Puerto Rico who is known for his architectonical designs and classic silhouettes. His aesthetic is a bond between past and future; sophistication with a modern twist. From an early age, Ghabriello showed a talent for sewing and design. As a dancer, he began what became his life work by designing dance costumes for classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Dracula, Romeo and Juliet, and many others. In 2011 he debuted as an emerging designer and his popularity spread abroad. Soon enough, many people started knocking on his door for exclusive designs, including celebrities and the First Lady of Puerto Rico, Wilma Pastrana. In 2013 he moved to New York and worked with great designers such as Angel Sanchez, Gustavo Cadille, and Zac Posen. In 2015 he redesigned costumes for Pedro Ruiz’s Club Havana for Ballet Hispánico.

DONALD HOLDER (Lighting Designer) has worked extensively in theater, opera, dance architectural, and television lighting in the U.S. and abroad for over 25 years. He has designed more than 50 Broadway productions, has been nominated for 11 Tony® awards, winning the Tony® for Best Lighting Director for The Lion King and the 2008 revival of South Pacific. Holder was head of the lighting design program at the Californian Institute of the Arts from 2006-2010, was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Muhlenberg College and is a graduate of the University of Maine and the Yale University School of Drama.

DIANA RUETTIGER (Costume Reconstruction) has served as wardrobe supervisor for Luna Negra Dance Theater and Costume Designer for Dance for Life Chicago, Columbia College, and The Chicago Academy for the Arts. She has worked as stitcher and crew for The Joffrey Ballet and numerous Broadway touring shows. Ms. Ruettiger owned and operated a costume shop for 25 years before moving to New York to begin her tenure supervising wardrobe for Ballet Hispánico.

JOSHUA PAUL WECKESSER (Lighting Designer) is originally from Normal, IL. He is the founder of Bread & Roses Productions, dedicated to providing production support to art-based originations. Working primarily in circles of dance, Weckesser's designs have been seen across the U.S. and internationally. Weckesser has been working closely with Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak as a lighting designer and core collaborator since 2003. He also works with LEVELdance and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project as their resident lighting designer. Career highlights include lighting the first-ever evening-length production of American Tap at the Kennedy Center, working with Karole Armitage in the Netherlands, and touring with Gobsmacked and Che Malambo.

MARK ZAPPONE (Costume Designer) served Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) from 1983 to 1988 as costume designer, shop supervisor, and wardrobe master. He then moved to Monte Carlo, where he managed costume shops for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Le Cabaret de Monte-Carlo, continuing to Switzerland and Amsterdam with Holiday on Ice. Mr. Zappone has collaborated with many renowned choreographers and designers, including Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, and Yuri Possokhov, among others. In addition to his many ballets for PNB, Mr. Zappone has designed costumes for numerous dance companies worldwide.

GLENN ALLEN SIMS (Company Manager) performed for 23 years as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Mr. Sims grew up in Long Branch, NJ, where he began his classical dance training at the Academy of Dance Arts in Tinton Falls. He received a scholarship to the Ailey School's Summer Intensive and attended The Juilliard School under Benjamin Harkarvy. Mr. Sims has been featured on several network television programs, including BET Honors, Dancing With The Stars, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and So You Think You Can Dance. Mr. Sims, a master teacher, is a certified Zena Rommett Floor-Barre instructor and certified Pilates mat instructor. He has performed in the White House Dance Series and for the king of Morocco. He was featured on the cover of and has written a guest blog for Dance Magazine.

SK WATSON (Production Manager) has worked as a lighting designer for live events and theater for nearly 20 years regionally and in New York. Watson was the lighting supervisor for New York Stage and Film for four seasons. They have designed and coordinated lighting for events and concerts in NYC for the past several years. Favorites include Rihanna’s Diamond Ball, War Child, Michael Kors, and many more. They have also worked extensively with theater companies in New York including Underling Productions, St. Bat's Players, Everyday Inferno, and others, and have designed over fifty productions for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Watson holds a BA from Centre College and an MFA in lighting design from Ohio University. They are thrilled to be working with Ballet Hispánico.

AMY PAGE (Wardrobe Director) is a costume creator and wardrobe supervisor who is thrilled to return to Ballet Hispánico as their wardrobe director. She enjoys working with costume designers and artists to transform their dreams into reality. Through lightning-fast quick changes and marathon loads of laundry, her calm, capable presence brings a ray of sunshine to the backstage world. Her costumes have graced the stages of Lincoln Center and The Joyce Theater and can be seen in the repertory of Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M., Dance Theater of Harlem, Keigwin & Company, Dorrance Dance, and Camille A. Brown and Dancers. She has had the pleasure of dressing Tatiana Maslany in Network, as well as the cast of Hamilton on Broadway and has worked in television as a costume fitter for seasons three and four of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Amy holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

CAITLIN BROWN (Lighting Supervisor) has worked as a lighting designer for dance and theatre for eight years. She is a recent graduate of Ohio University receiving her MFA in lighting. Designs include Silent Sky (Ohio University), Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Hangar Theatre), Septem (The Nouveau Sud Project), Elements (DanceFX Atlanta), Henri (Dance Theatre of Greenville), Freedom Train (Matthews Playhouse), and Hand to God (Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte). Associate and assistant credits include Macbeth (Ohio University), Sense & Sensibility (Indiana Repertory Theatre), and Rhinoceros (Tantrum Theatre).

MORGAN LEMOS (Stage Manager) is happy to be working with Ballet Hispánico for their 2021/2022 tour season. They have previously worked on productions by Mount Holyoke College Dance Department where they graduated in 2020. During this time, they also performed for the Mount Holyoke College Dance Department as well as the Five College Dance Consortium and the Doug Varone and Dancers company. Morgan holds a BA in physics from Mount Holyoke College.

STACEY DÁVILA (Wardrobe Assistant) is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she worked for the fashion design line Ecliptica. This is when Norein and Michelle Otero inspired Stacey to pursue a career in costume design. It was her love for costumes, storytelling, and collaboration that made her relocate to Tampa, FL, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in costume design at the University of South Florida. She designed for theatre and dance companies in NYC; her most recent project was with the Vail Dance Festival, where she collaborated with companies like New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Ballet X, and dancers including Lauren Lovette and Lil Buck. She worked for Ballet Hispánico as a wardrobe assistant for three seasons and is now back with the company on their current tour.