Latin rhythm inspires the creation of Ballet Latino de San Antonio
Mayra Worthen is no stranger to the ballet world. For more than a quarter of a century Worthen led Ballet San Antonio, a company she…
Mayra Worthen is no stranger to the ballet world.
For more than a quarter of a century Worthen led Ballet San Antonio, a company she founded and served as artistic director. However, for years the Puerto Rico native had been thinking about expanding the boundaries of ballet into a relatively uncharted and new territory.
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I had an idea for a very long time to create a company that had a mission statement to not only to collaborate and educate but entertain and celebrate our Latin culture, Worthen said. I think that classical ballet presented with a little bit of spice and a different flavor just becomes more interesting, even for those people who never come see theater or never saw a ballet.
Finally last year Worthen made the move, leaving Ballet San Antonio for her newly created Ballet Latino de San Antonio, a neoclassical company featuring classically-trained dancers from Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Italy and the United States performing to Latin rhythms such as salsa, merengue and tango.
Adding Latin rhythm to ballet
After spending the last 12 months introducing the company to the community with outreach, outdoor and studio performances, Ballet Latino de San Antonio made its theatrical debut last weekend.
Were very unique because theres only one other company that does what we do and thats [Ballet Hispanico] in New York City, Worthen said. Most companies focus on the classics and neoclassical works. We focus on the Latin and Hispanic heritage, so our dancers are classically trained but also they can move with the Latin rhythms.