New York, NY – June 11, 2015 – Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the nation’s leading Latino dance organization since 1970, will perform in the first Hudson River Dance Festival at Hudson River Park on June 17 & 18, 2015 at 6:30pm.

Hudson River Park, one of the nation’s longest waterfront parks and an urban oasis for New Yorkers and visitors from every corner of the world, will host the first-ever Hudson River Dance Festival, presented this summer on the Pier 63 lawn in Hudson River Park. This free celebration of NYC’s premier dance culture is a rare and unique opportunity for diverse audiences to experience some of the city’s most talented and acclaimed dancers and ground-breaking dance compositions and performances.

The same program will be featured each evening, with Ballet Hispanico, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Parsons Dance sharing the bill. Each company has planned engaging and distinctive programs that spotlight the cultural wealth and stylistic innovation that makes New York the epicenter of the American dance scene. The repertoire is designed to delight a broad audience, from aficionados and dance enthusiasts, to families and new audiences alike. The Hudson River Dance Festival is sponsored and presented by SHS Foundation in association with The Joyce Theater, with funding from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Hudson River Park Trust.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Hudson River Dance Festival and to share our artistry with the larger New York City community,” said Ballet Hispanico Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro. “For this performance we present Sombrerísimo, a witty audience favorite that showcases the athleticism of the Ballet Hispanico Company's men and the exuberance of Latinos."

Choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and commissioned by New York City Center for the 10^th anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival, Sombrerísimo is an absorbing exploration of identity. The piece references the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats.

“Celebrating our City’s culture, and keeping the arts—especially dance—accessible and relevant for all New Yorkers is at the heart of what we do at SHS,” said Richard Feldman, President of the SHS Foundation. “We are excited to bring these iconic dance companies and their talented artists to Hudson River Park, which showcases so many quality events each summer.”

The Hudson River Dance Festival is part of an ongoing commitment by the Hudson River Park Trust to present free and low cost cultural, artistic and educational programming for all visitors to the Park’s Manhattan’s waterfront location from 59^th Street to Chambers Street, on the west side.

“There is nothing quite like sunset on the Hudson River in the summertime,” said Madelyn Wils, CEO and President of Hudson River Park Trust. “It is a privilege to launch with the support of The SHS Foundation, Hudson River Park’s first-annual dance festival, with such diverse and extraordinary dance companies. We invite everyone to join us this June to experience these exciting, beautiful and spirit-lifting works of art that celebrate life and our connection to the world around us.”

For more information about the Hudson River Dance Festival, or to learn about other Summer 2015 events in Hudson River Park, please visit: http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/events.