Pa'lante is a Spanish slang word meaning “forward.” The School of Theatre and Dance does a great job connecting students to pre-professional and professional organizations and opportunities through faculty and staff's professional networks during their time at TTU. We move students forward in their careers and to advance the artistry and innovation of our industry. Beginning in September 2021 through May 2022, BFA dance student Deborah De Farias has been studying dance in New York City with Ballet Hispanico's brand new Pa'lante Scholars program.
Deborah has been dancing most of her life. Having grown up in Lubbock, she started with Ballet Lubbock as a little girl and trained with Texas Tech School of Theatre and Dance alumna and current adjunct ballet instructor, Yvonne Racz-Key. According to Yvonne, Deborah has shown, from a young age, great discipline, drive, and a passion for dance. It was through Yvonne that Deborah learned about the Pa'lante Scholars program with Ballet Hispanico.
Ballet Hispanico is an innovative, community-focused Latin dance company and one of the largest Latinx cultural organizations in the United States. In 2021 they launched the groundbreaking Pa'lante Scholars program, a tuition-free pre-professional training program focusing on developing young Latinx dancers and their artistry. The goal of the program is to provide high-quality training that bridges the gap between educational and professional dance—without the significant financial burdens that are often associated with arts training and practice—to move dance, artistry, and culture forward with new bodies, voices, and minds.
As a young Latina, Deborah has loved being able to take full advantage of the emphasis on culture and diversity that the program has to offer. While Deborah herself has both Brazilian and American citizenship, and the program is geared toward Latin performers, her current cohort is inclusive of multiple identities, ethnicities, and nationalities. Deborah explained how fabulous and special it has been to work on Ballet Hispanico's repertoire because of its heavy Latin influences: “It makes me grow closer to my culture while at the same time expanding my artistry.”
Living in New York City to train and work with a high-quality, professional ballet company has been, as she puts it, “a grand opportunity.” When asked about how she has been adjusting to living in the city, Deborah exclaimed, “I love it here. It really is the center for the arts. Not just for dance. I meet so many cool people who are actors, commercial actors, or people on Broadway, musicians… it's incredible.” She has had the incredible opportunity to perform with Ballet Hispanico at the Macy's Day Parade and dance in commercial music video projects.
It's not all glamor, though. The training and rehearsals that the dancers do every day are a full-time job. Although the program is tuition-free, there is no room and board. On top of her intensive dance schedule, Deborah has been working various part-time jobs to cover living expenses. She also misses being in Lubbock with her friends and family.
The move to New York was very sudden as received notification of her acceptance into the program after the start of the fall semester. There was not much time to physically or mentally prepare for the transition. “Motivation hasn't left me yet,” Deborah assured me, “but there are many days where I'm very exhausted.”
Deborah credits her success to the work she has done with both Ballet Lubbock and the Texas Tech School of Theatre and Dance. While Ballet Hispanico's work is rooted in classical ballet technique, much of their repertoire is contemporary with Latin influences. Deborah expressed great appreciation for her solid roots in ballet from training with Yvonne and Ballet Lubbock and is incredibly grateful for the diverse techniques taught be the rest of the faculty at TTU. Former chair of the dance department Charlotte Boye-Christensen and current adjunct instructor Erin Harold Alvarado were instrumental in developing her contemporary and jazz technique, musicality, and artistry. They and the rest of her instructors at Tech have prepared her to embrace various dance aesthetics and become a well-rounded artist.
Although she had to take a break from her university studies to pursue this remarkable opportunity, Deborah is planning on returning to Texas Tech University soon to finish her degree.