PHOTO: Inside the 56th Anniversary Gala of Ballet Hispánico

Dancers of the Hispánico Ballet Company. Santiago Felipe

There’s something befitting of a ballet organization that kicks off its annual spring gala with a world-class performance and ends it with a packed dance floor. Ballet Hispánico has always approached its benefits, the same way it approaches the art form it champions: with an energy that is creative, joyful and impossible to leave. Last week, more than 330 dance enthusiasts, philanthropists, civic leaders and tastemakers gathered at two of New York’s most iconic venues for the company’s 56th Anniversary Gala.

The perfectly choreographed evening was a study in beautiful transitions. In downtown New York, guests transitioned from carpet and cocktail hour to a performance by WOMEN: Women on the movewith work by three Latin choreographers-Cassi Branches, Stephanie Martinez and dear gala Annabelle Lopez Ochoa-each of whom approaches Latino identity and lived experience through a distinctly contemporary lens, producing work that feels both culturally rooted and of the moment.

A dancer in the program of the Hispánico Ballet School. Michael Ostuni/ PMC/PMC

From there, gala attendees headed to the Plaza for awards, tributes and a sit-down Latin dinner. Lopez Ochoa, a Belgo-Colombian choreographer who has built one of the most distinctive bodies of work in ballet today, went on to receive the Artistic Inspiración 2026 award. She was joined in the evening’s honors by Donald B. Verrilli, Jr.46th Solicitor General of the United States under the President Barack Obamawho received the company’s Civic Inspiración 2026 award.

The guest list was as layered as the program itself. Alongside the honorees, the crowd in the Plaza reflected the breadth of Ballet Hispánico’s reach across culture, philanthropy and civic life. The commissioner of culture was noticed in the crowd Diya ComeState Senator Jose M. Serrano and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal; President of the New York Center Michael S. Rosenberg and the president and CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation Laura Aden; PRODUCER Kate Lear and well-known patron of the arts Judith-Ann Corrente; Tony and Olivier Award winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo and actor Ismael Cruz Cordova; stylists Carlos Campos AND Megan Key; and performers Prima Love.

By the time all was said and done, the chamber—which also included numerous choreographers and dancers—had raised more than $1,465,000 in support of Ballet Hispánico’s artistic, educational, and outreach programs, including $265,000 dedicated specifically to scholarships for students at the transformative Hisp Ballet School. After a short program of performances by the school’s talented young dancers, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra took the stage and guests took to the dance floor. The end of the night was illustrative of how Ballet Hispánico has always operated: moving people first and simply letting the generosity follow.