Energetic, entertaining and always surprising, fusing the finest modern ballet with a fantastic Latino flair New York’s Ballet Hispanico returns for a week-long residence in Santa Barbara at the Marjorie Luke Theater.  The Company holds a rich and diverse repertory of over 100 works by the foremost choreographers and emerging artists of our time, which explore the diversity of Latino culture through a fusion of classical, Latin, and contemporary dance powered by theatricality and passion. The Company has performed for an audience of nearly three million, throughout eleven countries, and on three continents. In a recent rebranding of the 45-year-old company, Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director since 2009, noted, “Given the ever-increasing influence of Latinos on the cultural landscape of this country, it felt like the right time to re-introduce Ballet Hispanico as the new expression of American contemporary dance…we now push every day to challenge, through our work, people’s notions of what it means to be Latino in 2016 and beyond.” Ballet Hispanico’s importance and influence in the world of Latino culture is underscored by The New York Times, “The Latin-American experience at last has a voice.” Ballet Hispanico’s visit featuring free public dance concerts, school visits and popular Latin Social Dance classes is supported through the special generosity of Jody and John Arnhold.