Opening Doors to Ballet
Steven remembers how much movement marked the stark difference between the two worlds in his life: his home life in the Bronx and his life as a professional ballet dancer. “It is really interesting to me to watch the way somebody from the South Bronx moves compared to the way somebody from Park Avenue moves,” Steven says. “And it has been really interesting in my life to try to change the way I mix in and out of different cultures.”
Steven got his start in ballet at just seven years old as part of an outreach program run by the New York Theater Ballet. By 14 years old Steven was a professional dancer with the company. The 2022 documentary “Lift,” chronicles Steven’s experience from being a participant in the Lift outreach program to eventually going on to lead the program as an adult.
Now, at 36 years old, Steven has come full circle, becoming the company’s artistic director — the company’s second artistic director in its 44 years. In this role, Steven trains dancers, curates the company’s programming and commissions new work.
In this episode of Latino USA, Steven reflects on his journey in ballet and the strategies he is putting in motion as artistic director to open the world of classical dance to new audiences.