that s why it s so miraculous to have this organization today. it s a miracle? it is. reporter: because the organization started thanks to one woman. in 1970 tina ramirez, a venezuelan immigrant, knew the transformative power of dance. a collective creates community. posture creates pride. reporter: how do you feel when you have to stand nice and tall? good. reporter: does it make you feel strong? yes. reporter: 16-year-old renata suarez dances here five days a week. when i was younger i struggled a little bit to still connect with my identity. reporter: that changed when she saw ballet hispanico perform. i think it was the most inspired i had ever been in my life. reporter: in the past a sense of belonging eluded the organization itself. we were often not supported as much as the big companies. we were often oh, it s the latino company. that s nice but that s not
cultural treasure. new york s ballet hispanico. it has been training thousands of young people of color for more than half a century. this season they opened. they have a lot to celebrate. we visited to see why they re on point. welcome. to ballet hispanico. this is a school and safe haven for dancers who are mostly latin x. who like other dancers of color have historically been marginalized in the mostly white world of classical dance. as a child i wanted to be in new york city ballet or american ballet theater. i had a teacher tell me, you being black, latina, your body, you re going to end up being too
really serious. now they re on the map. reporter: their block was named ballet hispanico. i watch from the wings. can you give me your best? oh, my gosh. ole! i love that. that is the cbs weekend news for this saturday. tonight a new cbs reports on the chatgpt revolution debuts on our streaming network. go to cbs news.com for more. don t forget cbs sunday morning and face the nation first thing tomorrow morning. for now, i m adriana diaz in new york. thanks for watching. thanks for watching. good night.
voluptuous. reporter: she is guatemalan and black, she overcame resistance and stereotyping growing up dancing in georgia. i built resilience, a lot of resilience and a lot of strength that kids of color start building way too young. reporter: but at ballet hispanico she feels home in the professional company which embraces the vibrancy and culture of latin x culture in both its choreography and casting. paolo calls this a safe space. i am free to be hispanic. i am free to be queer. i am free to be who i am in the purest form. reporter: edwardo vollaro found belonging dancing for the company. for kids like me, this place gives them a home base and
Ballet Hispánico debuts two works: one about the 17th-century nun and poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and the other, “Papagayos,” featuring a supernatural hat.