Ambassador of Dance: Ana’s megawatt personality and commanding presence make it easy to understand why she’s developed such a following in the studio and the community. The dancer’s joy for sharing her cultural heritage shapes all that she does. ~ Sara Jones, Southern Living Magazine.

 Latin Ballet Inspires Bravos: My Husband and I were in the audience when the Latin Ballet of Virginia performed at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center recently. We found the performance thrilling. More than 30 dancers in colorful costumes whirled around the stage. They ranged from small children to one, a friend of ours, who is in her 80’s. There were soloists such as Will Sterling Walker who could succeed on Broadway. Richmond is fortunate to have Ana Ines King, who directed these talented dancers.  ~ Margaret Gordon Seiler, Editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Awards and Recognition

Our education program, Be Proud of Yourself, has been extremely effective at all schools and received the Jane J. Baskerville Award 2004 for the best community educational program for the Chesterfield County Public Schools. In the past few years the Latin Ballet has been highly acclaimed around the region. In 2006, PBS showcased the Latin Ballet by broadcasting the program “Danza & Passion”. The Soul of Virginia Magazine spotlighted The Company as “Dancing to a New Beat in Virginia”. In 2005, Richmond Woman Magazine described Ana Ines King as “Coffee, Flowers and Ana, Colombia’s Finest Exports.”  Richmond Magazine recently named Ms. King as an Editor’s Pick of “20 Richmonders We Love,” while Style Magazine named her as one of the “25 most influential artists in Arts and Culture” in Virginia 2007 & 2008. The internationally read Dance Teacher Magazine spotlighted the Latin Ballet of Virginia as one of the only three organizations who teach English as a Second Language through Dance in the United States. Southern Living Magazine’s December 2007 issue published an article on the educational programs of the Latin Ballet, and recognized Ana Ines King as an “Ambassador of Dance and Culture.”  The Partners in the Arts and the Central Virginia Wolf Trap educational program have chosen the Latin Ballet artists to train in their programs, with the goal of teaching in the greater Richmond area, as well as training future dance educators outside of Virginia. The Latin Ballet is currently collaborating with Theater IV and Barksdale Theater in their Hispanic production of “Fuente Ovejuna,” premiering in 2009. The Latin Ballet is also collaborating with the Richmond Symphony for their production of Sinfonia del Fuego, premiering January 2009.