PHOTOS: Inside Ballet Hispánico’s 56th Anniversary Gala

Dancers of the Ballet Hispanico. Santiago Felipe

There’s something fitting about a ballet organization starting its annual spring gala with a world-class performance and ending with a packed ballroom. Ballet Hispánico has always approached its benefits as it approaches the art form it champions: with an energy that is creative, exhilarating and impossible to look away from. 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. At New York City Center, guests moved from carpet and cocktail hour to a show Mujeres: Women in Movementfeaturing the works of three Latin choreographers –Kasi branches, Stephanie Martinez And a ceremony in honor of me Annabelle Lopez Ochoa– Each of them approaches Latino identity and lived experience through a distinctly contemporary lens, producing work that feels culturally rooted and of the moment.

Dancer in the Spanish Ballet School program. Michael Ostuni/PMC/PMC

From there, partygoers made their way to the arena for awards, honors and a Latin-themed dinner. Lopez Ochoa, the Belgian-Colombian choreographer who has built one of the most distinctive works in ballet today, received the 2026 Artistic Inspiration Award. She was joined in the evening’s honors by Donald P. Verrilli, Jrthe 46th Solicitor General of the United States under President Barack Obama, who received the firm’s 2026 Civic Inspiration Award.

The guest list was as rich and layered as the program itself. Along with the honorees, the crowd in the plaza reflected the breadth of Ballet Hispánico’s reach across culture, philanthropy and civic life. He was seen in the crowd, the cultural commissioner Diya Vijstate senator jose m. Serrano and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman Segal; Head of New York City Center Michael S. Rosenberg and President and CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation Laura Eden; project Kate Lear A patron of famous arts Judith Ann Corrente; Tony and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo And the actor Ismael Cruz Cordova; Fashion designers Carlos Campos and Megan K; And the performer First love.

By the time all was said and done, the chamber—which also included several choreographers and dancers—had raised more than $1,465,000 to support Ballet Hispanico’s artistic, educational, and community outreach programs, including $265,000 specifically earmarked for scholarships for students of the Ballet Hispanico Transformational School. After a short program of performances by the school’s talented young dancers, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra took the stage, and guests headed to the dance floor. The evening’s finale was a demonstration of how Ballet Hispánico has always worked: by moving people first, then simply letting generosity follow.