Inside Ballet Hispanico with A.D. Tina Ramirez

Ballet Hispanico is not the only dance company out there with a Hispanic or Latino identity, but they're generally considered the best among many. Certainly they're the oldest, in continuous operation since 1970 under the artistic direction of founder Tina Ramirez who, at age 80-something, has just announced her plans to retire as artistic director this year.

As part of her final go round, Ramirez will be performing a cameo role in the company's revival of Stages, choreographer Graciella Daniele's depiction of the seven ages of a dancer. We recently interviewed the long-time Artistic Director by phone and here's what she had to say:

Cool Cleveland: We hear that Ballet Hispanico will be performing Tito on Timbales in Cleveland.

Tina Ramirez: Yes, it has music by Tito Puente and we are so fortunate to have live on stage for the Cleveland performance the Tito Puente rhythm section, 5 of the men who worked with him for years including the director of the group, Jose Madera, who was an important arranger of a lot of Tito’s music.

So what is the dance like?

Well, when I founded the company I wanted to expand the vocabulary of Latin dance so I would ask people who were not Latin dancers to choreograph on Latin music so that it would open it up. For instance, there’s a rumba in ‘Tito on Timbales’and usually rumbas are danced by women but the choreographer, William Whitener, did not know that. He put a man’s solo in the rumba. And you know, I find it very interesting that way; you couldn’t change it.

Tell us about Ritmo Y Ruido, the Ann Reinking ballet. We think of her as Bob Fosse’s muse. What motivated you to commission a dance from her?

I’ve known Ann Reinking since the 80’s, so when I read that she was doing a work for the 2nd Avenue Dance Company of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, I went to see it. It was about 6 minutes long and I loved it, because it was very New Yorican, so I said, ‘Ann, could you do it for the company, could you enlarge it?’ She said ‘Yes,’ but then she went off to teach in a summer camp and then Chicago came up so I said, ‘oh my god, I lost my choreographer,’ but I tell you, this woman is a true professional and true to her word. She would come to rehearse Ballet Hispanico and on Wednesdays I would have to remind her to leave at 1:30, that she had a matinee (of Chicago) at 2 o’clock.

The thing with Ritmo Y Ruido is, we can play it in a big theater or a small theater and it works either way. It’s always a standing ovation.

Tell us about Stages, the piece that you’re in choreographed by Graciela Danielle.

It’s about her life and my life together, all mixed up. And it features a girl from the school who we’re flying out on Friday so she can perform on Saturday. It’s so good to have a piece that people will be touched by.

So what is the real story of your life? How did you come to start Ballet Hispanico? We gather you were a dancer until 1963 or '64…

I think it was '64. I’d had a career in dance, traveled in Europe, Cuba, the United States, done musical comedy, concerts, and then I was looking for something else to do and my teacher called me and asked me to take over her studio. I was very honored so I said ‘I’ll do it for a year’ and then I was hooked because I saw the power of dance, how you could change whole families through just one child. When I started these girls were 7 and then when they were 12 or 13 they asked me, ‘how do you become a professional dancer?’ So then I started the dance company so that they would have a place to work. At the same time, I wanted the general audience to know who Hispanics were; we had an enormous culture behind us but in that period it was very stereotyped.

What year did you start the company? Was it 1970?

I don’t remember things by year. It was a tumultuous time – the cities were burning but it was the same year Governor Rockefeller gave money to the New York State Council on the Arts. We started in the back of a truck doing performances in the city of New York. That summer we had 5 weeks with the Department of Cultural Affairs and at the end of that summer the people of New York knew who Ballet Hispanico was.

Reading about your company, we were struck by all that you went through to find studio space, a place to dance. First renting, then developing grants and community support to buy and renovate.

At first my studio was at CBS at 53rd and Broadway and then I got kicked out of there because I had too many children. Then we were at 34th and 7th – 3 flights up – and we kept growing. And then we had to move again. I looked around and one the kids I had -- his mother was a community activist -- she knew that this building on 89th street was empty. It was a former stable where the Building Department used to store rat poison. But the community wanted us in this place. Remember when we moved in here, it was really scary to be in this neighborhood. I love the upper West Side, but we’ve been a turning force in the area. When we first moved in, you couldn’t walk down the street; across the street they were selling drugs; it’s not that way any more.

Fortunately, ever since the beginning Ballet Hispanico has had a terrific board. Perhaps they didn't have money like Rockefeller, but always very good people that care about the organization. So when we took on the mortgage at 89th St., the board was responsible, and with good management we’ve been able to survive.

Ballet Hispanico's performance at this Friday, February 20 at 8PM will include Tito on Timbales, Ritmo Y Ruidas, Club Havana, and Tres Bailes. At the Saturday, February 21 matinee, they will perform Stages in addition to Tito on Timbales and Ritmo Y Ruidas. Performances are co-presented by DANCECleveland and Cuyahoga Community College. Prior to the Saturday matinee performance, a family festival at 1PM in the Ohio Theatre lobby will showcase Latin culture with dancing, drumming and family activities. Tri-C will also host a free Showtime at noon Friday for students.

For tickets call 241-6000 or online at http://playhousesquare.org. For group tickets and for information about the Saturday matinee family festival call DANCECleveland at 991-9000. For Showtime information and group reservations call Tri-C at 987-4940.

From Cool Cleveland Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net
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