Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the preeminent Latino dance institution in the United States, will perform as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival, which is presented by Google Play, in a free performance at the Prospect Park Bandshell on Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 8pm. The dynamic program for Celebrate Brooklyn! highlights the extraordinary athleticism and playfulness of the company and includes Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro’s first piece for the company, Asuka, a celebration of the music of Celia Cruz, along with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s flamenco-inspired Nube Blanco and Pedro Ruiz’s high-spirited Club Havana. The Prospect Park Bandshell is located inside Prospect Park at Prospect Park West and 9th Street. Admission is free with a suggested $3.00 donation.  Gates open at 7:00pm. The evening will begin at 8pm with a free salsa lesson led by Eduardo Vilaro and Latin Social Dance prior to the performance. 

The program includes:

Asuka, a celebration of the music of Celia Cruz through the lens of the Latino experience. Cruz, renowned as the "Queen of Salsa," captured the heart of Latinos the world over and became a symbol of perseverance for many. Through rich imagery and humor, Eduardo Vilaro explores the struggles of departure from one’s homeland and the exuberance of success experienced by a community.

Nube Blanco (White Cloud), inspired by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s childhood memories of the beautiful songs of Maria Dolores Pradera.  Lopez Ochoa brilliantly integrates the Spanish zapateado technique or footwork that is found in flamenco dance and gives it a contemporary twist.

Club Havana, Latin Dancing at its best. The intoxicating rhythms of the Conga, Rumba, Mambo, and Cha Cha are brought to life by choreographer Pedro Ruiz, himself a native of Cuba, as he imagined his very own “Club Havana.”

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of Celebrate Brooklyn, a terrific festival that makes the arts so accessible to the residents of Brooklyn,” said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico.

Dancers: Lauren Alzamora, Donald Borror, Jamal Rashann Callender, Mario Ismael Espinoza, Rodney Hamilton, Min-Tzu Li, Andrea Salamanca, Jeffrey Sykes, Vanessa Valecillos, Kimberly Van Woesik, Joshua Winzeler, Jessica Alejandra Wyatt.