Cuban American director brings heritage alive with Virginia Ballet

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Latin Ballet of Virginia brings fire and heat face-to-face with elegance and grace. During a rehearsal, a whirlwind of music and a kaleidoscope of color came together, proving that this dynamic dance group is ready to “tan-go.”

Artistic director Marisol Betancourt-Sotolongo shared her passion for the art of dance with WRIC-TV.

“I love that I can express myself through dance and dance makes me happy,” Betancourt-Sotolongo said. “I feel like I can be whoever I want to be as I’m dancing.”

Betancourt-Sotolongo is a first-generation Cuban American. She’s been sharing the fierce flamenco and Afro-Cuban techniques since she was just three years old.

“I’ve learned to love my culture,” Betancourt-Sotolongo said. “I’ve learned to love where I’ve come from. I love to learn my heritage.”

Watching the vivid rehearsal, executive director Arianna Moore smiled proudly.

“I actually saw Marisol, our artistic director, performing as a kid — and I wanted to be like her,” Moore said, reflecting on what brought her to the Latin Ballet.

Moore has since turned that dream into a reality. She calls the company home and has “samba’d” her way full circle to working alongside Marisol and the Latin Ballet of Virginia’s original founder Ana Ines King.

The cultural element of the group holds a special place in Moore’s heart.

“My mom’s side is Panamanian,” Moore said. “So that was something that was really important for me growing up that I couldn’t really find places to connect and have those experiences.”

Moore sees the Latin Ballet as the cultural community she longed for.

“Being a part of the team now — it’s just been amazing to be able to switch [sides] and be the people that that I was looking up to as a kid,” Moore said.

The magic starts with practice in the studio. Then, the dancers bring their talent, passion and culture all across Virginia — and even beyond.

“Each performance we have tells a story,” Betancourt-Sotolongo said. “So behind every story there’s a legend. There’s a myth. There is something that adds the culture into everything that we do.”

With every movement, glance and jete, the company has continued to bloom since its founding in 1997. They now boast 11 professional dancers, dozens of apprentices and hundreds of students. However, these aren’t co-workers, colleagues or even just friends.

“We are all family,” Moore said.

These gifted dancers from Columbia, Barbados and even right here in Richmond prove that it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like, as long as you’re willing to turn your focus to your craft — to learn from one another and unleash that passion for the world to see.

“[We] just want to share our culture and make everyone join our familia,” Moore said.

For more information on the Latin Ballet of Virginia, plus a link to its upcoming performances, visit its website .

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