Bennett Awards created new custom awards for Ballet Hispanico, which is recognized as the nation’s premier Latino dance organization. These recognition awards were created to honor three extraordinary individuals who have given voice to their Latino culture and the importance of Ballet Hispanico’s work through the corporations they serve. David Pérez, Ballet Hispanico Board President and President and COO of Palladium Equity Partners, and Milena Alberti-Pérez, SVP and Head of Global Corporate Finance at Penguin Random House, received the Civic Inspiration Award for their thirteen years of leadership and dedication to Ballet Hispanico. Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, Chair of Ballet Hispanico’s Leadership Council, received the Nuestra Inspiración Award for his unwavering advocacy for New York City’s arts community and for his efforts as program director for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
For these recognition awards, Bennett Awards worked with Ballet Hispanico to create a new custom award design based on an impressionistic ballet dancer. The design was done in an artistic style that matched Ballet Hispanico's brand image. The ballet dancer sculpture stood approximately 16” high, and was created in gold-plated pewter. The sculpture award was then mounted on a circular black marble based with gold-fill engraving of the recipient name, award name, and date of presentation.
These awards were presented to the recipients at Ballet Hispanico’s 2015 Spring Gala, held March 30, 2015, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The black-tie gala also featured live salsa music, along with performances by the Ballet Hispanico Company and students of the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance.
Since its inception in 1970, Ballet Hispanico has been recognized as the nation’s premier Latino dance organization. Led by award-winning Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the Ballet Hispanico Company has performed for audiences totaling over 3 million, throughout 11 countries, and on 3 continents. The Company’s commitment to contemporary repertory has produced world-class, multifaceted performances that have featured master works by Nacho Duato, cutting-edge premieres by Cayetano Soto and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and live music collaborations with renowned artists such as Paquito D’Rivera and Ruben Blades—to name a notable few. Through the work of its professional company, school of dance, and community arts education programs, Ballet Hispanico celebrates the dynamic aesthetics of the Hispanic diaspora, building new avenues of cultural dialogue and sharing the joy of dance with all communities. For more information, visit www.ballethispanico.org.