©2024 Kim Kokich
CityDance Conservatory students were treated to a rare coaching moment last Saturday when Ballet Hispánico’s Artistic Director, Eduardo Vilaro arrived during the run-through just before the end-of-session showing was about to start. The students were thrilled to be coached by Vilaro in his piece, Buscando a Juan and to hear firsthand some of background stories and history behind the movements they were taught. This was a short intensive–a total of five days; four in which to learn the dance pieces, and the sixth, to perform them in front of friends, families, Ballet Hispánico artists and CityDance Conservatory staff and faculty.
Rodney Hamilton, Associate Director of the Ballet Hispánico School, was one of the instructors and was impressed by the students’ commitment to their art, “My experience was fantastic. They’re a hard-working bunch. There’s a lot of talent in the rooms. The dancers were ‘hungry’. We’re bringing them something that was actually quite difficult…learning a different style of dance…a lot of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Cuban styles.”
Altogether, Ballet Hispánico brought four dance artists instructors, including their Ballet Mistress Anitra Keegan, who has taught in many residencies across the country. She was struck by the students’ openness,
“What I like most about this residency is the dancers at CityDance are, first of all, very talented, and second, very receptive. So it’s been very nice from my point of view to work with dancers that are willing to learn and that are invested in embodying the whole experience. Not just learning the steps but also understanding the movement.”
While year-round students at CityDance Conservatory take classes in multiple genres, some of the technique they learned this summer widened their experience. Adam Dario Morales, a dancer with Ballet Hispánico and one of the instructors, explains, “The movement has a lot of undulations, a lot of being grounded.” He appreciated how quickly they began to understand the movement in such a short amount of time, adding, “The dancers are very artistic. They were beautiful.”
Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro could barely contain his excitement at the developing collaboration with CityDance Conservatory, “This was an amazing time here and I just want to keep working with these kids!” And plans are in the making to ensure this happens again!
