The Essence of Us: Dance, Borders, and Belonging
September 19, 2026
In-Person
September 19, 2026
Time: 1 PM–9:30 PM
Pricing: $115, plus $20 processing fee
Location: 92NY
DEL Facilitator: Ana Nery Fragoso
Guest Artist: Pedro Ruiz
Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 1 PM–9:30 PM
$115, plus $20 processing fee | Dinner Included!
Visa barriers have prevented Malpaso Dance Company from traveling to New York for the planned world premiere of celebrated choreographer Pedro Ruiz’s new work, The Essence of Us, at 92NY.
But rather than allow those barriers to end the project, 92NY has continued to support the work.
Filmmaker Nel Shelby traveled to Cuba to document Ruiz’s creative process with Malpaso, and the resulting documentary offers an intimate portrait of a company whose artistry and resilience remain undiminished.
On September 19, we’re inviting our DEL community to join Pedro Ruiz and DEL Facilitator Ana Nery Fragoso for a full-day experience that invites dance educators to explore home, belonging, identity, and borders through movement, conversation, community, performance, film, and celebration.
The experience begins with a movement workshop led by choreographer Pedro Ruiz, who will introduce participants to repertory from The Essence of Us, his work created in collaboration with Malpaso Dance Company in Havana, Cuba. Participants will then engage in embodied learning and dialogue led by DEL Facilitator Ana Nery Fragoso and explore how the themes of the work can inform their teaching, using the DEL Model to consider meaningful ways to bring questions of home, community, culture, and belonging into the dance classroom.
Then, we’ll gather around the table for dinner at Lolita’s Kitchen, just down the block from 92NY. Dinner is included in your ticket, offering dedicated time to connect, share, and build community with fellow dance educators.
The learning continues into the evening with a ticket to the Harkness Mainstage program, The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story, featuring Nel Shelby’s world-premiere documentary about Ruiz’s creative process with Malpaso Dance Company, alongside a live performance by Ballet Hispánico New York. The evening concludes with a post-performance Afterparty, with Cuban-inspired music, drinks, and dancing, offering participants an opportunity to continue connecting, moving, and celebrating together.
Together, the workshop, dialogue, performance, film, and dance party create a full-day experience centered on artistic exchange, embodied learning, cultural connection, and the power of dance to create belonging across borders.
Schedule:
- 1-4 PM: DEL Workshop – Movement workshop with Pedro Ruiz, followed by embodied learning, dialogue and applications to dance education with Ana Nery Fragoso
- 4-4:30 PM: Break and transition to dinner
- 4:30-6:30 PM: Dinner at Lolita’s Kitchen (Dinner included in ticket price)
- 6:30 PM: Doors open for evening performance and screening
- 7-9: The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story, featuring Nel Shelby’s world-premiere documentary about Ruiz’s creative process with Malpaso Dance Company, alongside a live performance by Ballet Hispánico New York
- 9 PM onward: Afterparty including Cuban-inspired music, drinks, and dancing
QUESTIONS? Please reach out to [email protected].
Photo: Pedro Ruiz with Malpaso Dance Company, by Christopher Duggan
Meet Your Instructors
Pedro Ruiz
Pedro Ruiz is a celebrated international choreographer and dancer who was born and trained in Cuba, and later in Venezuela. During his 21-year career with Ballet Hispanico as a principal dancer, Ruiz choreographed three critically acclaimed ballets for the company, among them Club Havana, which has become a signature piece...
Ana Nery Fragoso
Ana Nery Fragoso is the Director of the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College, CUNY. AGDEP prepares candidates to teach Dance PreK - Grade 12 to students of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and interests. The curriculum is enriched by repertory classes with New York City-based choreographers, international performance opportunities, and...