Welcoming our new Company dancers for the 2011-12 season!

The Ballet Hispanico Company dancers have been back in our studios this week from their summer break, looking all rested and refreshed, and eager to start their rigorous rehearsals.  Our building truly hums with a different kind of energy when they’re around!

This year we are thrilled to have four new lovely faces joining us: Jamal Rashann Callender, Andrea Salamanca, Kimberly Van Woesik, and Joshua Peter Winzeler.  Read on for their bios and (gorgeous) pictures.  We are equally thrilled to have the following returning dancers with us: Lauren Alzamora, Donald Borror, Rodney Hamilton, Mario Ismael Espinoza, Min-Tzu Li, Christian Elán Ortiz, Vanessa Valecillos, and Jessica Alejandra Wyatt.  Stay tuned next week for journal entries from each of them on what they did during their summer vacation!

Jamal Rashann Callender

Jamal Rashann Callender began dancing at Ballet Tech in New York City. He attended the Professional Performing Arts School/The Ailey School under the late Denise Jefferson, while dancing at The Restoration Dance Theatre and the Harlem School of the Arts. Jamal also attended Perry-Mansfield and Springboard Danse Montreal. He graduated from The Juilliard School under Lawrence Rhodes, and has worked with The Atlanta Ballet, Peridance Ensemble, Buglisi Dance Theater, Formal Structure Inc., and Hubbard Street 2. This is his first season with Ballet Hispanico.

Andrea Salamanca

Andrea Salamanca graduated from The School of Incolballet in Cali, Colombia. Andrea joined the professional company of Incolballet in 2005, under the direction of Gloria Castro Martínez. Performed works by choreographers such as Jorge Amarnte Tangos, Yanis Pikieris Mirages, Rayneth Meredith, Gonzalo Galguera, Patrick D Bana, and Edward Lock. In 2008 she participated in Incolballet’s tour in Spain and in Cali’s II International Ballet Festival. This is her first season with Ballet Hispanico.

Kimbery Van Woesik

Kimberly Van Woesik graduated from Southern Methodist University. She has trained at Chamberlain School of Performing Arts, American Ballet Theater, Miami City Ballet, the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Performed works by Ben Stevenson, Twyla Tharp, Arthur Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Alison Chase, Jessica Lang, Adam Hougland, Gerald Arpino, and George Balanchine. This is her first season with Ballet Hispanico.

Joshua Peter Winzeler

Joshua Peter Winzeler was born in Miami, Florida. He began his ballet training with The Thomas Armour Youth Ballet and the Miami Conservatory. He furthered his training with the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. Joshua graduated from New World School of the Arts receiving his B.F.A. in 2011. Joshua has performed works from Martha Graham, Darshan Bhuller, Robert Battle and Michael Uthoff, to name a few. This is his first season with Ballet Hispanico.

Teaming up with Ron Brown

For anyone who knows anything about Ron Brown, it would seem only natural that Ballet Hispanico has decided to team up with this respected choreographer for a unique collaborative project. Mr. Brown’s work has been characterized by his ability to seamlessly blend culture and tradition with modern contemporary and urban dance styles. Drawing on Latin American, Caribbean, and West African traditions, Mr. Brown’s interest lays in exploring the potential of folkloric and cultural dance to tell stories in a contemporary context. As BH Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro says, “Ron Brown takes the inherent sense of purpose from these traditional dance forms and makes them relevant in today’s society.”

We are extremely excited to be collaborating with Mr. Brown on his latest piece, “Espiritu Vivo,” which has been prepared for our 2011-2012 season. Mr. Brown and Eduardo have joined together to conduct extensive background research in order to develop the choreography’s multi-cultural themes and storyline, and the company dancers have spent three intense weeks in the studio with Mr. Brown to produce the final work. Click here to see rehearsal photos!

The world premiere viewing of “Espiritu Vivo,” will be presented on Friday, March 25 for Ballet Hispanico’s Circulo de Honor.

About Ron Brown
Ronald K. Brown was born in Brooklyn and founded the New York-based contemporary dance ensemble Evidence, A Dance Company in 1985. In addition to his work with Evidence, Brown has created work for the African American Dance Ensemble, Philadanco, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Grace in 1999, Serving Nia in 2001, IFE/My Heart 2005 and Dancing Spirit, a tribute to Judith Jamison), Ailey II, Cinque Folkloric Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works, and Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire. He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, and composers Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner. Brown has received numerous awards and fellowships including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Choreography, a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer’s Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in choreography, New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie), a Black Theater Alliance Award, the American Dance Festival Humphrey/Weidman/Limón Award, and fellowships from the Edward and Sally van Lier Fund. In addition, Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop Mentor of the Year in 2000.  In 2003, he received an AUDELCO (Black Theatre Award) for his choreography for Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, originally produced by the McCarter Theater and presented off-Broadway in 2003. In fall 2006, Brown received The United States Artists Rose Fellowship.  He was one of only four choreographers of 50 artists to receive the inaugural award.