Roberto Villanueva (born 1970 in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

The Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

) is an American dancer, teacher, artistic director, and producer. He performed with

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Complexions Contemporary Ballet is a contemporary ballet company founded in 1994 by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. The company, based in New York City, is a multicultural mix of classical and contemporary dancers. History Complexions Co ...

and Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company before founding BalaSole Dance Company.

Early life and career

Born and raised in Manila, after graduating early from

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

Villanueva moved to New York to study accounting at the

University of Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

. Taking an introductory dance class to fulfill physical education requirements led him to switch his concentration to dance. Two years later he won the Dance Masters of America Competition and a special scholarship to the school of

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate a ...

. Though acknowledged as a "powerhouse dancer" Villanueva was frequently passed over for work due to his short stature. Despite these restrictions he was invited by

Desmond Richardson Desmond Richardson is an American dancer, actor and co-founder, and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He has mastered a wide range of dance forms including hip hop, classical, modern, classical ballet, and contemporary balle ...

to join

. He also performed with Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company where he worked extensively with

Eleo Pomare Eleo Pomare (20 October 1937 – 8 August 2008) was a Colombian-American modern dance choreographer. Known for his politically-charged productions depicting the Black experience, his work had a major influence on contemporary dance, especially Bl ...

. Following the death of his father, Villanueva acknowledged his disenchantment with the lack of greater artistic prospects and became a financial manager for 15 years. During this period he graduated with his Masters from the Public Administration Program from

John Jay College of Criminal Justice The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts c ...

, and work as cash fund manager for Wasserstein Perella & Co. and director of operations for

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

. Frustrated by the continued dearth of representation in dance, Villanueva founded BalaSole Dance Company to "address the inequity of opportunities afforded talented dancers with unconventional attributes". Through BalaSole, he has presented artists from all over the world as well as his own work to great acclaim. In addition to his solo career, Villanueva is an acclaimed instructor who has taught for

Ballet Philippines Ballet Philippines (BP) is a ballet company in the Philippines founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Proficient in both ballet and modern dance,Jacinto, J. 2007. The Ballet Com ...

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

, Glendale Community College,

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, and the school at Dance Masters of America. Currently he is the Director of Dance for

College of Mount Saint Vincent A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

where his company is in residence. From 2012 through 2017 he led

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served a ...

's Dancing Through the Barriers program.

Personal life

Villanueva lives in New York City. In 2012, he was nominated for The Outstanding Filipino American in New York (TOFA-NY). In 2013 he received a "Distinguished Alumni Award" from the University at Buffalo's Theater & Dance Department.

References

External links

Roberto Villanueva
- Official website
BalaSole Dance Company
- BalaSole Dance Company {{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Roberto American male ballet dancers American people of Filipino descent Ballet teachers Male dancers Living people 1970 births University at Buffalo alumni University at Buffalo faculty