A Look Ahead...

-September 24th: Liberty Hall Dance Festival & Milford Alive! Fall Festival

-October 5th: Contemporary Modern Day of Dance hosted by Katie Messina & Meg Gourley

-October 7th: American Red Cross Blood Drive

-October 9th: Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes Run Trainee Performance

Mill Ballet School & Roxey Ballet Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15th to October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Danny Rocha, Roxey Ballet Company Artist, recently went to Columbia- where his family is from- to perform with Giovanni Ravelo's company Mudanza. Read about his experience as a Latino in the the dance space & his experience in Columbia below!

"Growing up as the child of two Colombian immigrants, I live a culture deeply integrated with dance, rhythm, and music. This characteristic of my artistry, the strictly Latin-American aspect, has always been a critical component of what I create in the modern Western dance studio. Although classical works often feature performers who are Latin-American (as with most ethnicities), the works themselves seldom gesture toward the heritage of those performers. Modern dance works displayed in more widely-renowned theaters are beginning to draw more influence from the cultural background of company dancers and contemporary choreographers, and this is some of the most exciting work for me to witness.

Recently I was invited by Giovanni Ravelo to travel to Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia to teach and perform with his company, Mudanza, developed there with local artists over the past several years.
It was a remarkable opportunity for me to visit the land of my heritage as an artist, interface with people as a young adult, and learn the rhythm of modern language and communication within a rehearsal-space amongst in Colombia. We performed a suite of three works, titled Amor en Tres Historias (Love in Three Stories), including “Narcissa”, “Cantina de Amor”, and “Poseída”. All are original dance works choreographed by Ravelo, a duet and two ensemble works, respectively, with the latter performed alongside live musicians from Colombia. The performance and turnout were both breathtaking phenomena at the recently renovated Teatro de Santander, and I will forever cherish the friendships and memories I made during these two weeks in Bucaramanga."

Next week for National Hispanic Heritage Month, we will feature Roxey Ballet Founder & Director Mark Roxey & learn more about his experiences as a Latino in the dance world!

Click here to View the More Information About Mill Ballet School : En Pointe Newsletter - September 22, 2022