Human Nature Contemporary Ballet
Founded in late 2015, Human Nature Contemporary Ballet (HNCB) is a local dance company from El Paso, TX, founded by Rafael Chavez and Jose Barraza. The company aims to use dance as a way of self expression that captures the stories of our time. Ballet forms the foundation for our movement, and our unique style takes inspiration from Contemporary Dance, Martial Arts, and Gymnastics. We push to show the humanity behind the art and remove the mystique placed on dance. Our goal is for our audience to see the dancers as people, not as the ethereal beings often portrayed in classical ballet. Dance is something that transcends language and connects us not only as people but as humans.
Under the direction of Rafael Chavez.
Rafael Chavez is a native of El Paso, TX. He began dancing at 13 training under Eva Garza. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Texas at El Paso, further training with Andree Harper, Ouisa Davis, Lisa Smith, Myron Naydel, Emily Morgan, and Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre. Soon after graduating he founded Human Nature Contemporary Ballet choreographing neoclassical and contemporary works such as Talisman, The GRID, and Transcendence. His works have also been showcased at the American College Dance Association (ACDA), Wold Dance Alliance, World Water Week 2024 Conference (Bridging Borders: Leveraging Water for Peace) as well as choreographing for competitions such as Starbound, Showstopper, KAR and the Youth American Grand Prix. Rafael also forms part of the faculty at Protege Dance Company in El Paso, TX, teaching Ballet, Contemporary, Floorwork and Improv.
Under the direction of Rafael Chavez.
Rafael Chavez is a native of El Paso, TX. He began dancing at 13 training under Eva Garza. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Texas at El Paso, further training with Andree Harper, Ouisa Davis, Lisa Smith, Myron Naydel, Emily Morgan, and Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre. Soon after graduating he founded Human Nature Contemporary Ballet choreographing neoclassical and contemporary works such as Talisman, The GRID, and Transcendence. His works have also been showcased at the American College Dance Association (ACDA), Wold Dance Alliance, World Water Week 2024 Conference (Bridging Borders: Leveraging Water for Peace) as well as choreographing for competitions such as Starbound, Showstopper, KAR and the Youth American Grand Prix. Rafael also forms part of the faculty at Protege Dance Company in El Paso, TX, teaching Ballet, Contemporary, Floorwork and Improv.