NJ Ballet Ballet with a Latin Beat April 25, 2009

The program promises a spicy trio of works with South of the Border flair, a showcase for New Jersey Ballet’s versatile artists. The Latin evening will celebrate Spanish-American culture with two premieres and a major revival. Guajira, a ballet by Cuban-born choreographer Pedro Ruiz, weaves memories of childhood visits to his grandfather’s farm with Ruiz’ own experience of life in the Cuban countryside and sets the mix in motion to a medley of Afro-Cuban and Latin music. For the second premiere, New Jersey Ballet has commissioned choreographer Frank Regan to create ballet of classic Latin ballroom styles including mambo and rumba. The work, Sophisticated Salsa, takes advantage of a current ballroom style with a substantial following. Rounding out the program is Entre Dos Aguas, a dramatic piece by internationally celebrated choreographer Robert North, which has not been performed for New Jersey audiences in over a decade. Aguas is a fusion of ballet, jazz dance and flamenco, with highly stylized movement and plenty of flash and dazzle.

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