] Ana Ines Barragan King (born 1957 in

Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...

, The Republic of Colombia) South America is the founder of the Latin Ballet of Virginia. She is a professional dancer and choreographer. King was a 2016 honoree of

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of th ...

Education

Ana Ines Barragan King attended the Instituto Departmental de Bellas Artes of Colombia, where she earned a BFA in dance and choreography. After moving to Richmond, she studied dance at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

, later joining the faculty in

VCU School of the Arts Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (also referred to as VCU School of the Arts or simply VCUarts) is a public non-profit art and design school located in Richmond, Virginia. One of many degree-offering schools at VCU, the Schoo ...

Dance career and formation of dance company

In Colombia, King founded and was Artistic Director of the Santander Ballet from 1985 to 1995. She was a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University department of Dance and Choreography and at the Center for the Arts of Henrico County for seven years. She coordinates and directs the Latin Ballet in collaboration with Dominion Arts Center educational programs. In addition to directing the Latin Ballet professional company, she is full-time choreographer/producer for the Latin Ballet of Virginia programs and productions.

Honors and awards

In 2015 King received an Outstanding Woman of the Year Award presented by the YWCA. In 2016, she was honored as a Virginia Woman in History by the

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and ...

. In 2017 King was named "Person of the Year" by the Richmond Times-Dispatch for her work as founder of the Latin Ballet of Virginia. Also in 2017, she was recognized by Style Weekly Women in the Arts for her contributions.

Teaching

King was formerly a member of the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts. She teaches and choreographs award-winning dance pieces, including the annual ''Legend of the Poinsettia'', which in 2016 featured among its dancers Frances Wessells. Included in the classes taught by Ana King are master classes in dance taught by invitation at Virginia arts councils, cultural organizations, and colleges. The Latin Ballet Company of Virginia's educational programs taught by King include subjects such as "Spanish through Dance" about Hispanic language/culture, "Dance as Therapy" for special-needs children, " ELL (ESL) through Dance" with a goal of assimilating international children/families, and "EveryBody Reads!" which is a literacy program. CultureWorks of Richmond teamed with the Richmond Better Housing Coalition to identify three culturally underserved communities that could benefit from an arts and culture experience. One of the results was a Fiesta Del Sol event featuring King's Latin Ballet of Virginia at Winchester Green in North Chesterfield County in Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Ana Ines Barragan 1957 births Living people People from Bucaramanga Colombian emigrants to the United States American female dancers American choreographers Women choreographers Dancers from Virginia Musicians from Richmond, Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University alumni Virginia Commonwealth University faculty Flamenco dancers American women academics 21st-century American women