Ballet Hispánico will present the new, full-length piece Doña Perón April 1-3 at New York City Center, as part of the inaugural City Center Dance Festival. Watch the video above for a look into rehearsals and an interview with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Set to an original score by Peter Salem, the work paints a portrait of the iconic and controversial Eva “Evita” Perón, whose ambition and conflicting desires fed her life as an activist and feminist leader.

The City Center Dance Festival is a springtime counterpart to autumn’s two-week Fall for Dance Festival; instead of a smorgasbord of companies, this festival focuses on four leading New York groups.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Dance Theatre of Harlem have had decades-long associations with City Center. Ballet Hispánico is hardly a newcomer, having appeared on past Fall for Dance programs, though these performances mark the company’s first season on the City Center stage. Each company displays its versatile dancers in an array of works, ranging from classics to innovative new choreography.

City Center Dance Festival runs through April 10.