Winter has already wrapped Rochester in its heavy white arms, but Ballet Hispanico's performance at Nazareth College Arts Center this month promises to transport the city to the steamy warmth of Cuba and beyond. 

The sensuality and raw energy of "Club Havana," choreographed by Pedro Ruiz and premiered at The Joyce Theater in 2000, radiates heat and passion. Set in an imaginary dance club, the dancers revel in the Latin rhythms and broadcast their carnal hungers through interpretations of the Rumba, the Mambo, the Conga, and the Cha Cha.

Ballet Hispanico was started in New York City by artistic director Tina Ramirez in 1970, the same year that Garth Fagan was forming his modern dance company - then The Bottom of The Bucket - in Rochester. Born in Venezuela, the daughter of a Mexican bullfighter, Ramirez forged a reputation for herself first as a professional dancer, then as an educator and producer. Her company's work is unique in the dance world; it combines fiery Latin dance with the freedom of contemporary dance, while retaining a grounding in classical

Ramirez began with a school - Operation High Hopes - that trained students in her unique combination of traditional Spanish dance forms, classical ballet, and modern, all the while deepening the students' appreciation of their ethnic heritage through exposure to concerts, plays and museums. Graduates went on to dance for Ramirez' company or, perhaps, other dance companies. Some veered into different art forms - Jennifer Lopez into film and music, for example. The school now draws highly qualified applicants from around the world. Notably, more than $100,000 in scholarship support is awarded annually based on talent, need, and dedication.

Ballet Hispanico has created a niche for itself in the dance world with its celebration and interpretation of Hispanic culture in the United States. The company performs at such major venues as The Joyce Theater in New York City and The John Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as appearing internationally. Ramirez has amassed a huge repertoire for her company to draw from, including more than 70 commissioned works by master choreographers.

Also being performed by Ballet Hispanico at Nazareth January 11 are "Caravanserai" and "Tito on Timbales," both revivals. "Caravanserai" is choreographed by Talley Beatty and had its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1980. The piece contemplates time and existence as it emphasizes flowing motions and cyclical patterns of movement. "Tito on Timbales," choreographed by William Whitener, is a tribute to the music of Tito Puente. Loose-limbed dancers enact the complex rhythms of Puente's high-pitched drums in this technically demanding piece.

The company is holding a closed master class at the Draper Center for Dance Education on Wednesday, January 9. There will be another closed class at Hochstein School of Music and Dance on Thursday, January 10, for Borinquen Dance Theatre and Hochstein students. Also on January 10, the public is invited to participate in a free, salsa-partnering session given by Ballet Hispanico members at the Memorial Art Gallery, 7-8:30 p.m. Reservations and partners are suggested.