Experience

Latin Ballet of Virginia

• United States
• Performing Arts
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director Emerita, Founder

  • Oct 1999 - Present

• Producing Artistic Director

  • Oct 1999 - Present

  A non for profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the Hispanic culture and history through dance, music and theatre.

• Director Emerita, Founder

  • Oct 1999 - Sep 2022

  Holds a BFA in Dance/Choreography/Design from Instituto de Bellas Artes, Colombia, has over twenty-five years of experience teaching, performing and designing internationally. She started dancing Spanish Ballet at early age with her mother, Dora Olarte de Barragán in Colombia and has been constantly training in contemporary, Latino/Caribbean and flamenco dance forms with many acclaimed international artists. She founded the Santander Ballet, Colombia, was the designer of travel/leather accessories for international companies; designer of accessories and interior store displays for NLDA, that represents more than 400 stores in the United States. She was a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University for 9 years. Ana has been highly acclaimed for over a decade, receiving awards and recognitions including: 2016 Virginia Women in History by the Library of Virginia for her important contribution to Virginia, the nation and the word, 2015 Entrepreneur Bridge Builder by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber for her commitment to education, 2015 Outstanding Woman of the Year by YWCA for making arts accessible, empowering youth, and making Hispanic culture alive. The 2018 Person of the Year by Richmond Times for her commitment to the arts. Best Choreographer 2019 by The RVA Dance Awards, The Poe Film Festival's 2020 Director's Award for outstanding achievements in the creative arts, The 2021 Hispanic Women of Power for her commitment to serve minority low income families in the U.S. 2018 National Endowment for the Arts feature “Finding Love, Passion and Pride with Ana and the Ballet of Virginia”. The 2007 Richmond Magazine Editor’s Pick award choose Ana as “The Richmonder We Love”. 2004 - Jane Baskerville Award for the best community education program for World Languages in Chesterfield Public Schools. 2002 - Hispanic Woman of the Year Award by CNN en Español. 1991 - Best National Choreographer for One Hundred Years of Solitude dance work. Show less