Two Venues, One Unforgettable Evening: Inside Ballet Hispánico’s 56th Anniversary Gala

April 29, 2026 / Rolling Stone British /

The Ballet Hispánico Company dancers. Santiago Felipe

There is something fitting about a ballet organization kicking off its annual springtime gala with a world-class performance and ending it with a packed dancefloor. Ballet Hispánico has always approached its benefits much like it approaches the art form it champions: with an energy that’s creative, joyful and impossible to look away from. Last week, more than 330 dance enthusiasts, philanthropists, civic leaders and tastemakers gathered across two of New York’s most storied 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 the carpet and cocktail hour to a performance of MUJERES: Women in Motion, featuring work by three Latina choreographers—Cassi Abranches, Stephanie Martinez and gala honoree 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 Ballet Hispánico School program. Michael Ostuni/ PMC/PMC

From there, gala-goers made their way to the Plaza for awards, tributes and a Latin-inflected seated dinner. Lopez Ochoa, a Belgian-Colombian choreographer who has built one of the most distinctive bodies of work in ballet today, went on to receive the 2026 Artistic Inspiración Award. She was joined in the evening’s honors by Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., the 46th Solicitor General of the United States under President Barack Obama, who received the company’s 2026 Civic Inspiración Award.

The guest list was as richly layered as the program itself. Alongside the honorees, the crowd at the Plaza reflected the breadth of Ballet Hispánico’s reach across culture, philanthropy and civic life. Spotted in the crowd were cultural commissioner Diya Vij, State Senator Jose M. Serrano and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal; New York City Center president Michael S. Rosenberg and Howard Gilman Foundation president and CEO Laura Aden; producer Kate Lear and storied arts patron Judith-Ann Corrente; Tony and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo and actor Ismael Cruz Córdova; fashion designers Carlos Campos and Megan Key; and performer Prima Love.

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