Mr. Tchaikovsky, meet "So You Think You Can Dance."
In the popular dance competition TV show, contestants at the top of their profession in various styles of dance are challenged to perform in styles for which they have no training.
Hip-hop dancers must perform contemporary; ballet dancers are forced to learn the fox trot; and ballroom dancers have to show that they can do a Bollywood routine. This exposure to unfamiliar styles improves them within their own discipline and turns them into more complete dancers, they say.
That's exactly what Burbank resident Raquel Cordova is trying to do with Creations Dance Theatre, Inc., a nonprofit arts organization. Together with co-founder and fellow dancer Felicia Guzman, Cordova created the dance company earlier this year with the intention of bringing other dance styles into the world of classical ballet.
"My background is Peruvian and hers is Mexican," Cordova said. "We wanted to incorporate the Latin influence into the ballet."