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6 Choreographers, 5 Hispanic-Influenced Dance Styles and a World Premiere from David Fernandez
Hello from the studios of Accent Dance NYC! We are a dance and performance initiative that champions arts education in New York City and our neighboring areas and we are putting the finishing touches on Regalo Hispánico — our performance this Friday at Teatro LATEA on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Did you know that September was chosen to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage month because five Hispanic countries gained their independence and three countries celebrate independence throughout the month? We are dedicating our performance to this prideful month by spotlighting lots of Latinx dancers, choreographers and composers and we are so excited to get back on stage!
With more than six choreographers working with our dancers, over five styles of hispanic-influenced dance represented in the program, and an exciting world premiere from Mexican choreographer David Fernandez, it’s been a busy but wonderful start to our Fall season!
Our studios have been bubbling over the brim with creative approaches to celebrating Hispanic heritage, exploring folklore, magic, music and family — all elements that are ingrained in Hispanic culture. Dardo Galletto takes a fresh, virtuosic, and abstract spin on the sultry tango; Mexican composer Arturo Marquez will fill the theater with his signature native sounds in Pedro Ruiz’s Danzón, and pop-artist and GRAMMY winner Rosalía will provide the soundscape for soulful duet with a flamenco flair by choreographers Lucia Jackson and Dannys Gonzalez.
We’re particularly excited to have commissioned the esteemed choreographer David Fernandez to present the world premiere of El Regalo de los Alebriges (The Gift of the Alebriges) on our dancers! On a young boy’s birthday during the peak of the pandemic in New York City, what is anticipated to be a solitary celebration transforms into a magical party when the Alebrijes — brightly colored Mexican folk-art sculptures of mythical creatures — come alive! The Alebrijes contribute gifts of their own which help him reframe his fraught relationship with his mother and give the boy the fortitude to push through the pandemic.
“I’ve always wanted to create something for Accent Dance,” shares Fernandez. “I love their diversity and enthusiasm to share, explore and merge so many forms of dance on the same stage. Their effort to reach many audiences is a great example of how the New York art community takes care of their people.” He continues, “I was happy and honored to be commissioned to create something original about Mexico, my home.”
Even though Fernandez has been able to continue to teach and choreograph throughout the COVID closures,creating a piece with Accent Dance NYC felt particularly uplifting as many of his classes and rehearsals over the last year and a half happened over digital platforms like zoom. Getting out from behind our screens and being fully immersed in the in-person creative process has pushed our dancers to find their stamina and refine their movement qualities after more than a year of dancing in small spaces at home.
“Little by little, we’re getting there,” Ferdandez says, reenergized by the return to stages in the city. At this world premiere, we can not only expect a joyous enthusiasm from the Accent Dance NYC team for a return to a stage with a live audience, but also beautiful folkloric costumes and colorful masks of the mythical Alebriges brought to life!
As always, our mission is to use the ballet and contemporary dance vocabulary to share a message of hope and faith in our communities with this program. Not only will we be sharing our evening program with our live NY audience, we will also be creating a digital performance of the evening to bring into our public school partners, continuing to offer educational programming to children throughout New York City, Westchester, and beyond.
We are so grateful to be back and moving forward into the rest of 2021, returning to our mission stronger than ever, and bringing live, engaging, and diverse performance programming back to our Manhattan communities. Let’s celebrate Hispanic Heritage month together. Let’s dance together. Let’s hope for a bright future, together. See you on the 17th!
WHAT: Regalo Hispánico
WHEN: Friday, September 17, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Teatro LATEA, 107 Suffolk Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side (second floor of The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center)
TICKETS: Click HERE to purchase tickets for $30 each
COVID CONDITIONS: Proof of full vaccination will be required at the door, and all patrons are to remain masked for the duration of the event.
