Big first steps; There's no playing it safe for Lindiana Flores and her Hispania Dance Company.

Byline: Richard Duckett

The brand new Hispania Dance Company is not taking tentative baby steps as it introduces itself to the Worcester community.

Rather, it will be leaping into the limelight with its debut performance at 8 p.m. Friday in the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

That's quite a move for a dance group to make. Furthermore, the performance, titled "Anoranzas/Reminiscing," consists entirely of works choreographed by Hispania's artistic director, Lindiana Flores. No playing it safe there, either.

"Right into the fire," Flores cheerfully acknowledged. "I guess I'm very ambitious. I have big goals for the company. I never do anything on a small scale. I always dream big, and I'm not afraid to go for it."

However, Flores, 24, is not brash. She came across as thoughtful and very deliberate in her choice of words during a recent interview. In the view of Hilda Ramirez, founder of the Ritmos Academy and executive director of the Worcester Youth Center, Flores is also brilliant. When the two met last year they found they shared a vision for a Latino dance company based in Worcester that would explore new artistic horizons. Ramirez has come on board as a co-founder and member of the board of directors of the Hispania Dance Company. Flores is young but commands the respect of her dancers. Still, Ramirez can also bring a valuable perspective of experience.

"We thought it was important to introduce a new company in an exciting location," Ramirez said of the decision of the dance company to make its debut in the new, prestigious Hanover Theatre. "I think it shows we're serious where we take our dancers."

It's a big venue, but as Flores noted, "I think there's a lot of curiosity about what the company's about."

So, what is it about?

"My goals are to incorporate Hispanic culture with dance. I don't think I've seen it that much," Flores said. "My background is ballet and modern dance. I want to mesh the traditional Hispanic dances with ballet and create something new."

Flores was born and raised in Worcester and was interested in dance from an early age, although economic circumstances held her back for a while. "Dance lessons were expensive," she said. She didn't start taking lessons until she was 14, which in the dance world is rather late. But in her characteristically determined way, she quickly made up for lost time. After graduating from Worcester Technical High School she moved to New York City, hit the audition trail, and got as a job as a dancer with Carnival Cruise Lines.

While in New York she trained at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre with such notable names as A.C. Ciulla (Broadway's "Footloose"), Maurice Hines, J.T. Jenkins ("Steps on Broadway") and Brice Vick (choreographer of Ashanti's "Only You" video). Then she went to Dean College in Franklin, where she received a bachelor's degree in dance a year ago.

Flores now had a decision to make. Should she return to New York City?

She decided to come back to Worcester.

"I thought of moving there (New York) but I just felt like I didn't want to abandon my community," Flores said. "I felt I almost had a gift and I wanted to share that with the community where I grew up. I did grow up in a dance community where I felt the Latino culture was missing. When I went to school I was the only Hispanic girl in my dance classes. So I wanted to give back when I graduated."

Mutual acquaintances thought Flores should meet Ramirez, and on her return to Worcester she did just that. Soon Flores was teaching at Ritmos Academy, 344 Chandler St., which is now also the home base of the Hispania Dance Company, although the two are separate entities.

Auditions for the Hispania Dance Company were held in December. "We decided to open it up to the whole Hispanic community," Flores said.

But the auditions were also very rigorous and people were put through their paces, Ramirez observed. That immediately won the respect of the dancers, she said.

The company is now composed of nine dancers - five male and four female, a ratio that is a bit unusual given that dance companies often find it difficult to find male dancers. Flores is not only their choreographer, teacher and artistic director but dances with them as well.

For Friday's performance, Flores has created 15 pieces. "The dancers absorbed a lot in a short period of time," she said. "The creative process for me was amazing. Ideas in my head put to movement." She paused, then added, "We're gonna see the fruits of my labor." There was a vulnerability to that remark that only makes the pending performance all the more intriguing.

To the music and poetry of a number of Spanish composers and poets, "Anoranzas" (which in English is "Reminiscing") consists of three segments that look back into aspects of Latino culture and fuse them with modern ideas and interpretations.

One piece, "Essence," is described as "Exploring the complexities of stereotypes in the Latino culture. Peeling away the layers that society has placed on our Latinos to reveal the true essence of who we are."

The performance will also include a live singer and handmade costumes that are themselves a fusion of Latino and modern styles.

While the Hispania Dance Company is undertaking an adventure this week, Flores and Ramirez are also mindful of reflecting on the steps they've taken thus far and the ones that lie ahead. One goal is for Flores to create a second performance piece. But first things first. Following Friday's performance there will be a Q&A session with the audience for feedback, Ramirez said.

This summer, Flores wants to "develop the dancers, develop their technique more."

Possible tours to New York and Latino countries would not just be to perform but to absorb.

"We want to take them to see the authenticity of the dancing," Flores said.

"My own goal is to travel more, explore things, and find more inspiration and refine my skills in choreography."

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: "I guess I'm very ambitious. I have big goals for the company. I never do anything on a small scale. I always dream big, and I'm not afraid to go for it," says Lindiana Flores.

PHOTOG: T&G Photo/MARC C. IDE