Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the achievements of Hispanic American and Latinx champions who have paved the way for future generations. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023, we’re highlighting a few of the many contributions our vibrant community and artists have made and continue to make on the legacy of Boston Ballet and American dance.
1953: Chilean-born and Mexican trained Lupe Serrano became the first Hispanic principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Her career with the Company spanned two decades and saw numerous achievements, including touring with Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso and dancing with superstar Rudolf Nureyev. Since her retirement in 1971, she has devoted herself to passing on her craft to the next generation of students and professional dancers.
1970: Ballet Hispánico, an American dance company based in Manhattan, New York, was founded by the Puerto Rican/Mexican American dancer and choreographer Tina Ramirez. The Company presents dances reflecting the experience of Hispanic and Latino Americans and describes itself as “the foremost dance representative of Hispanic culture in the United States.”
1986: Cuban-born choreographer José Mateo founded José Mateo Ballet Theatre in Boston. Mateo was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the Hispanic community in Massachusetts in the Poderometro 2007. He was also the recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s 2017/18 Commonwealth Award for Achievement, the state’s highest honor in the arts, sciences, and humanities. In 2016, Mateo was named one of Boston’s 50 Legends and Pioneers by the Get Konnected! organization.
1998: Argentinian Erica Cornejo and her brother, Herman Cornejo, were invited as guest artists to dance at a special tribute held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York honoring both President Bill Clinton and Argentinean President Carlos Menem. Erica had been honored as a Messenger of Peace by Unesco and received a medal of honor from the U.S. chapter of Institute Belgraniano as one of Argentina’s leading dancers. She joined Boston Ballet as a principal dancer in 2006. Erica and her husband Carlos Molina from Colombia, also a former principal dancer with Boston Ballet, now serve as co-founders and artistic directors of Integrarte, a dance art movement center in Boston.
2003: Nelson Madrigal joined Boston Ballet as a principal dancer. Madrigal trained with the Cuban National Ballet School, under the direction of the famed Alicia Alonso. He joined the National Ballet of Cuba in 1994 where he was a distinguished Primer Bailarín. Madrigal is married to Lorna Feijóo, also a former principal dancer with Boston Ballet.
2004: Cuban-born Boston Ballet principal dancer Lorna Feijóo and her sister Lorena Feijóo, principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, performed together for the first time in a one-night-only Boston Ballet performance of Swan Lake. They shared the dual role of Odette/Odile, with Lorna as Odette and Lorena as Odile, and both were partnered by Nelson Madrigal, Lorna’s husband and fellow principal dancer at Boston Ballet.
2006: Tai Jimenz joined Boston Ballet as the first Black female principal dancer, where she originated a role in Mark Morris’ Up and Down and was also seen in Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena, Jorma Elo’s Carmen, George Balanchine’s Serenade and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces, and Asaf Messerer’s Spring Waters.
2008: Actor and choreographer Jon Rua made his Broadway debut as a swing in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Tony-Award winning musical In the Heights. Later, Rua would become a member of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, contributing his own voice and choreography to the show. Growing up in New Jersey as the son of two Colombian-born parents, he cites that he didn’t have the “traditional” Western dance foundation but was inspired by his Colombian heritage to stand out and succeed in the entertainment world.
