Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

They were cancelled twice due to COVID, but this weekend the renowned Chicago dance company The Hiplet Ballerinas, is expected to grace the stage in a live performance at the Carver Community Cultural Center.

Founded by dancer/teacher/choreographer, Homer Hans Bryant, a former Dance Theater of Harlem star, the company has garnered national and international attention for its unique approach to dance that fuses classical ballet technique with other, very different styles, such as hip-hop, jazz, African and others urban styles. The very name “Hiplet” was coined by Bryant from the words “hip-hop” and “ballet” and subsequently trademarked. And the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, which he also founded, is today the only school that teaches this hybrid dance genre.

“We have been imitated all over the world,” said Bryant in a recent interview. “Which is fine with us but they can’t call it “hiplet.” They can’t claim that they are teaching ‘hiplet.’”

The idea behind the entire enterprise was to create a dance style that’s more accessible to a greater number of people. What you’ll often see on stage is ballet pointe work of the feet coupled with much looser movements of the upper body, as well as dancers of all shapes and sizes – and colors.

For the Carver show, the company will bring 16 dancers to San Antonio consisting of four men and eight women, some of whom will be in ballet pointe shoes and some in sneakers or stiletto heels, said the artistic director. The show consists of a number of different dance segments, usually choreographed to well known songs, that together take you on a journey while telling the “story of dance. “It’s a very entertaining show,” noted Bryant. “You’ll see big, brown girls on stage doing stuff that will blow you away. Or skinny ones; it’s a body-type inclusive kind of a show.”

 Though there are solo dances in the program, there are no designated soloists or principal dancers like in traditional ballet companies. All the dancers are trained to know everybody else’s part. “For me, they are all soloists,” remarked Bryant. Company dancers tend to be his former students who transitioned from the school to the company at a certain age and skill level. He mentioned the amazing Nia Parker who literally grew up in the school since the age of seven. And when their dancing days are over, these same dancers often return to the school as teachers.

Some of his students are famous for reasons other than their dance skills, like, for instance, Sasha and Malia Obama who trained at the Multi-Cultural Dance Center of Chicago for nine years. And their mother, Michele, has taken some classes there, too. “They were very good dancers,” said Bryant, referring to the girls. He also confided that Lady Gaga had also taken private lessons with him over the years.

“The reputation of the school travels well beyond Chicago. We are really community minded and we create better human beings, is what I say about our school,” said the artistic director.

It all started some years ago with Bryant’s “rap ballet,” which “literally put street dance en pointe.” The dancers liked it, and according to reports, Bryant started posting videos online. It was not an immediate success, however, as some viewers complained that he was ruining classical ballet. Fortunately, others appreciated it, among them BuzzFeed that featured the group in its programming. What followed was a gratifying trip to Germany to shoot a commercial for Mercedes Benz and an appearance in Paris during Fashion Week.  In 2016, the company appeared on “America’s Got Talent” TV show, and “we went viral,” said Bryant.

Asked about what he finds most gratifying in his multifaceted work, he doesn’t hesitate: “Like I said, we make better human beings and a few good dancers.”

In addition to the Carver’s evening performance, the company will perform for school children as part of the Carver’s Youth Matinee Series on Friday Jan. 21 at 11 a.m.
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The evening show is on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m.; Carver Center, 226 N. Hackberry; tickets $35 at box office 210-207-2234 or via Ticketmaster.com at 800-745-3000. Masks recommended.