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Miami City Ballet presents its Christmas miracle: ‘The Nutcracker in the Park’

Performing Arts

Published 12/15/20

First, the great news: Miami City Ballet is offering 14 performances of “The Nutcracker” in downtown Doral Park, starting Dec. 18 until New Year’s Eve.And now for the story behind the news: It’s a beautiful Christmas tale, with a dance company planning its return amid a devastating pandemic and a public desparate to see in-person ballet once again. Two friends support the company’s director’s vision, and an even larger group sets out to make it come true. As a happy ending, we have the miracle of an unprecedented outdoor season.It all started with a conversation between Lourdes López, artistic director of Miami City Ballet, and Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, CEO of Codina Partners, a real estate investment and development firm.“This endeavor is the prime example of a public-private partnership at its best,” Codina says. “Seeing everybody working seamlessly together to bring this gift to the community has been inspiring: the private sector represented by Codina Partners, …

Celebrate the Holidays Arts and Culture Style!

Performing Arts

Published 12/8/20

BROWARD CENTER: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE MUSICAL12/11 - 12/13Join Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and a host of colorful characters for a traditional holiday tale. Especially adapted for family audiences, this musical production of the Charles Dickens classic, staged by The Performance Project, is a wonderful way to celebrate the season with the entire family. More event details here.MIAMI CHILDREN'S CHORUS: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 12/12 Celebrate the release of the Miami Children's Chorus holiday EP “Home for the Holidays” via Zoom. More event details here.ARTS BALLET THEATRE OF FLORIDA: THE NUTCRACKERVIRTUAL DATES: 12/12, 12/13One of the most popular versions of this beloved fairy tale returns to the stage to delight audiences with its cherished music and brilliant dancing. The annual production of Tchaikovsky’s iconic score (based on the tale of Ernest Hoffman, choreographed and directed by Ballet Master Vladimir Issaev himself) will bring snowflakes, sugarplums, naughty little …

DANCE IN MIAMI IS ALIVE AND THRIVING … OUTDOORS

Performing Arts

Published 11/17/20

Dance films have been created and archived material has been streamed. It is possible to watch a filmed performance of The Royal Ballet from London one second, then watch New York City Ballet the next. Creative filmmaking has thrived. Choreographers who had already been investigating digital formats for dance have found that necessity has pushed them to the forefront. Visual boundaries have been explored and broken.Still, even with all the creativity and exploration occurring in the virtual realm, dancers have been in lockdown. They have been at home, filming, learning … and waiting for the first opportunity to let their bodies explode in space.That time has come.Dance performances are moving outside. From large organizations such as Miami City Ballet to smaller, site-specific choreography, dance is outdoors, where the air is fresh, distancing is possible, space is infinite, and live dance can be seen and can thrive.As Miami dance icon Brigid Baker said, humorously, “I’d be …

DANCE REVIEW: WITNESSING CONTEMPORARY LEAPS WITH PASSION AT XXV ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL OF MIAMI

Performing Arts

Published 11/3/20

Culminating a month-long line up of masterclasses, workshops and virtual events, the XXV Annual International Ballet Festival of Miami (IBFM) wrapped up with three live performances on Sept. 11 to 13. The first night was streamed from Dance Town Miami studios in Doral. Dance Town Miami was one of four companies that presented a selection of modern and contemporary duets and solos. Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Ballet Inc. and Dance NOW Miami were also on the program. Tickets, at $10 for each of the three nights, allowed for the viewer to have access to a performance for 24 hours.The first night of what IBFM called a live performance gala was titled “ContemporaryPerformance,” which was entirely fitting for what the evening brought forth. Contemporary dance is a fusion of dance styles that combines classical technique and unconventional abstract movement. Duet and solos passionately exposed battles within themselves streamed from the stage in an empty theater space. The single duo …

Best Things To Do For Halloween

Performing Arts

Published 10/29/20

THE HORRORLAND EXPERIENCE: SOUTH FLORIDA'S FIRST EVER DRIVE THRU HAUNTED HOUSE ATTRACTIONThrough October 31st at 7:00 pmOver the course of 35 chilling minutes, the fully immersive attraction takes people into a fantasy world complete with ghoulish characters and unexpected bursts of “unusual” activities. Participants travel through six differently themed passages and experience the dreaded terrors associated with the Halloween season. More event details here.(image: The Horrorland Experience)DEERING ESTATE: HISTORIC GHOST TOUROctober 29th at 7:30 pmStep into the past, as you explore the history of the Deering Estate. Through our historic stories we will share information about previous inhabitants as well as paranormal activity that has been experienced on the Estate by staff and visitors! More event details here.OUTSHINE FILM FESTIVAL: A QUEER CREATURE (DOUBLE) FEATURE | COCKTAILS & CINEMA VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR October 29th at 7:30 pmThis event is FREE for the community and …

Miami City Ballet returns to Lincoln Road roots with pop-up studio space

Performing Arts

Published 8/9/20

Outdoor speakers pumped Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” on a recent weekday, as one shopper after another casually peered in, then froze. Some examined the mannequins in the windows, draped with costumes sourced from MCB’s full-length production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Others pulled out smartphones to record the movements of the dancers inside. Circles painted on the pavement marked appropriate social distancing spots for the spectators.When COVID-19 disrupted dance schedules worldwide and closed down theaters, Miami City Ballet began working on strategies to stay connected to audiences. Miami City Ballet x Lincoln Road, a new pop-up studio space, is part of that strategy – allowing fans, shoppers and casual passersby to enjoy dance right before their eyes.“My goal in life is to do moments of surprising beauty for the public,” said Tim Schmand, executive director of the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District.The Lincoln Road BID collaborated on the initiative …

Miami City Ballet Dance Lover Kit

Performing Arts

Published 4/24/20

MOVE WITH MCBMiami City Ballet invites you to join their livestream dance classes via @miamicityballet Instagram. These classes are a fun way to get your body moving, and cater for beginners to experienced dancers. Everybody is welcome!Ballet Basics with Jennifer Lauren, MCB PrincipalSaturdays at 10am, perfect for the whole familyBallet Stretch and Strengthen with Lauren Fadeley, MCB Principal SoloistMondays at 8:30am, a gentle mindful way to start the weekBallet Basics (In Spanish) with Katia Carranza, MCB PrincipalTuesdays at 11am, perfect for the whole familyIntermediate Ballet with Rainer Krenstetter, MCB PrincipalThursdays at 6pm, a challenge for more advanced dancersCOLORING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND ADULTSIf Hippolyta, the Firebird and Don Quixote were in self isolation, what would they do? They’d probably want to do some coloring. Miami City Ballet is offering coloring activity sheets, featuring some of your favorite characters from MCB ballets, are a fun activity for kids at …

RISING STARS - An Evening of Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts

Performing Arts

Published 2/21/20

The Rising Stars Exhibition, The Condition of Being Oneself, kicks off the showcase featuring a wide range of artwork created by the college and high school students of the prestigious New World School of the Arts in downtown Miami. The themes of this show are the self, the uniqueness of every person, and the viewpoint of the artist. In approaching their work for this exhibition, visual arts students will focus on something that they bring to their work that is particular to themselves, or the way in which they see the world. Whether it is a painting, a sculpture, a photograph, a film or a design, it is the artist’s singular vision and being that serves as inspiration to make the work unique.Just blocks away, at the historic Olympia Theater, NWSA continues an evening of artistic showings with excerpts of renowned works in dance, music and theater that will capture the artistic heart and soul of the audience. Presenting an excerpt from Paul Taylor’s dynamic masterpiece work, Cloven …

Life as a Professional Performer

Performing Arts

Published 2/21/20

Besides talent, what other attributes are necessary to become a successful professional performer? Persistence, desire, and resilience are all essential. Dancer/performers need to be able to work effectively with others under stressful circumstances. They need to be reliable, responsive, and to be able to communicate effectively. There is an intangible and intuitive quality, which is the ability to interact and to collaborate with choreographers in a way that serves the choreographers’ vision and aesthetic. Passion.This varies somewhat from dancer to dancer, and from dance company to dance company. In concert dance, most companies hold company classes daily or several times per week, followed by daily rehearsals, in what amounts to approximately a 7- to 8-hour day and a 35-40-hour work week. Many dancers work with a variety of choreographers, so have a more varied schedule but one, which probably amounts to the same amount of time. Professional dancers …

MIAMI CITY BALLET BRINGING ‘I’M OLD-FASHIONED’ TO SOUTH FLORIDA

Performing Arts

Published 1/8/20

The show starts Jan. 10 at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, before moving first to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach then to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.Four ballets include the return of Alexei Ratmansky’s large-scale “Symphonic Dances” and, prominently, the troupe’s first staging of “I’m Old-Fashioned,” for which choreographer Jerome Robbins mined a quintessential film duet featuring master of the dance floor Fred Astaire and his equal in enchantment, Rita Hayworth. Thus, under three minutes of dancing in a scene from the 1942 musical, “You Were Never Lovelier,” gave rise to more than a half-hour of choreographic exploration by Robbins, earning multiple curtain calls at its New York City Ballet premiere in 1983.“This is truly special in that it involves another medium for visual impact,” says Aaron Hilton, who will dance one of the leads in “I’m Old-Fashioned.” He …

MIAMI CITY BALLET LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Performing Arts

Published 9/9/19

Dance has the ability to transport us to a different world - it is often thought that dancers are untouchable beings. We’re just regular human beings, who are passionate about ballet and dance and have dedicated our lives to perfecting our art form. This season is so exciting, given the variety of programs which will show how we’re able to transform ourselves throughout each piece. I welcome the challenge of our versatile programs and I am super excited to share each opportunity with you and transport you to another world.”~ Emily Bromberg, Principal Soloist“This company is truly a rare national gem–and it’s Miami’s own. As one of the top ballet companies, it gives us the distinct opportunity to work one-on-one with world renowned choreographers like Alexei Ratmansky, Twyla Tharp and Justin Peck. MCB is so diverse artistically, and this season is a beautiful showcase of that range.”  ~ Samantha Galler, SoloistBalanchine meets Broadway in …

UPCOMING DANCE SEASON IN MIAMI WILL OFFER ADVENTURE AND RISK

Performing Arts

Published 8/23/19

1. Los Angeles-based Diavolo presents “Architecture in Motion,” the company’s eye-popping slant on dance athleticism as urban landscapes crash around them. Think Cirque du Soleil meets the movie “Inception” with lots of split-second escapes — bring the teens. Oct. 12 at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Art2. Long heralded as the best-kept dance secret in Miami, Brigid Baker’s choreographies have shifted their fair share of audience life paths. Her company Wholeproject will perform “Remain in Light,” from the 1980 David Byrne-Brian Eno album of the same name. Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at Miami-Dade County Auditorium’s On.Stage Black.Box theater. 3. Miami and Madrid currently vie for the title of best in international flamenco. Discover why with “Flamencas en la Luz” when master flamenco artist Clarita Filgueras and company Flamenco Puro tap out machine-gun rhythms only an arm’s length away. Nov. 9-10 in South Miami-Dade …

INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL OF MIAMI TAKES A LEAP FORWARD

Performing Arts

Published 7/29/19

“Among several programs this year,” artistic director Eriberto Jimenez says, “we’re taking the festival to the streets.”For this 24th edition, the second after the passing of founder Pedro Pablo Peña, the festival will explore novel ways to heighten its community profile without abandoning a well-established format of presentations. The closing galas with their standard assortment of venerable pas de deux — a candy box of classicism ballet fans crave — remain central to the lineup. But a wider inclusion of contemporary works, some presented at unusual venues, may freshen up the offerings and foster new fans. “It surprises me how even after all this time, there are still people — even art lovers out there — who don’t know exactly what we’re about,” Jimenez remarks. Of course, he wants to stand by his devoted audience, inveterate lovers of the regal bearing and technical fireworks found in duet after duet taken from the vault of ballet’s golden …

Miami City Ballet Has Called South Florida Home for 33 Years

Performing Arts

Published 8/29/18

- By Petar Petrov -And how could it be any other way – Lourdes Lopez, who was recently named one of “The Most Influential People in Dance Today” by Dance Magazine, danced with New York City Ballet for 24 years under the guidance of none other than George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She joined them when she was only 16, was promoted to soloist at the age of 23, and to principal 3 years later. Balanchine’s artistic influence on Lopez didn’t fade away with the end of her stage career; on the contrary, she continued to pay him tribute by becoming the executive director of The George Balanchine Foundation. But Miami City Ballet’s story dates far back before Lopez joined the show. It all started in 1985 when Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin spread her passion for ballet like a relentless force of nature, managing to persuade founding artistic director Edward Villella to get behind the wheel of her vision, as well as multiple parties to fund it. …

The 2nd Annual Miami International Ballet Competition is slated for January 23-27

Performing Arts

Published 8/29/18

This international contest aims to unite young dancers from around the world within a positive, competitive atmosphere, enable them to gain confidence, develop friendships and connections, and become the chief protagonists in the development of their own futures. The 2018 competition attracted more than 100 aspiring young dancers from different cities in the US and countries such as China, Peru, and Japan, who came together to show the best of their abilities aiming for cash awards, medals, scholarships and opportunities to join ballet companies or major ballet schools to continue their professional training.The Founding Directors, Issaev and Pikieris, have both enjoyed very successful international careers as dancers, choreographers, and artistic directors, and share enormous experience in the development of young ballet artists. As long-time important figures of Miami’s dance community, they have agreed that our city’s multicultural and international flavor make it an ideal …

XXIII International Ballet Festival of Miami

Performing Arts

Published 7/16/18

The 23rd International Ballet Festival of Miami 2018, considered the most important in the US, will present performances and an array of other activities in various venues throughout Miami-Dade County, featuring the best ballet, modern and contemporary companies represented by their stars from Europe, South America, Mexico and the USA, receiving local & international rave reviews.The IBFM launches with a VIP Cocktail Reception (invited guests) featuring the Unveiling of the Official IBFM Poster created by Cuban Artist Javier Dubrocq, Saturday, July 28 / 8 p.m. with his dance-inspired fine arts exhibition open to the public the month of August at the beautiful, historic Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center, 111 SW 5th. Ave. Miami, Fl 33130.Five magnificent performances will thrill audiences this year; “IBFM Youth Gala”, featuring young Florida ballet competition medalists at the Lehman Theater, Saturday, Aug. 4 @ 7pm;. Two “Contemporary Performances” featuring 4 …

Sufi-meets-B boy in ‘What the Day Owes to the Night’

Performing Arts

Published 2/1/18

Stunning French Algerian Dance Company Herve Koubi Cie Hervé Koubi makes its Miami debut with a highly physical, fluid work for 12 French-Algerian and West African male dancers, hailed as a “stunning fusion of acrobatics, gymnastics, b-boying, modern dance and ballet” by the The Washington Post The piece is an exploration of and reconnection to the company director‘s North African roots.The French-born choreographer Herve Koubi only learned of his Algerian heritage as an adult. The revelation prompted his first trip to Algiers at the age of 25, where he held auditions, received 250 (mostly self-taught) dancers and selected twelve, whom he calls his “found brothers.” The rest is choreographic history. “I went to Algeria to make light in my dark (because unknown) history. I had to give life to my orientalist dreams, I had to do it with dance. I had to do it with dancers from Algeria using their specific skills. The youth of Algeria is like that, full of …

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Celebrates a Decade of Ailey at the Adrienne Arsht Center

Performing Arts

Published 2/1/18

Making his choreographic debut with the piece Members Don’t Get Weary, is Miami native Jamar Roberts, heralded as a star in the dance world. Roberts calls the piece “a response to the current social landscape in America, an abstract look into the notion of one ‘having the blues.” Roberts’ deep appreciation for jazz – an original American art form that he believes should be more widely celebrated – comes through in his use of saxophonist and legendary composer John Coltrane’s music, 50 years after the legend’s death. Roberts, along with 31 of Ailey’s renowned dancers, will captivate audiences during five richly diverse programs, featuring new works and company premieres by the world’s most celebrated dance-makers. The Adrienne Arsht Center and Ailey have also collaborated to offer a myriad of arts education and community-friendly offerings. On Friday, February 23 at 11:00am, a special one-hour performance featuring Ailey’s perennial crowd-pleasing …

CELEBRATE SOUTH FLORIDA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MARTHA GRAHAM’S DANCE OF LIFE

Performing Arts

Published 12/28/17

January 21 - 24Celebrating its 20th Season, the South Florida Symphony Orchestra presents Masterworks Series II: Martha Graham’s Dance of Life, which provides South Florida audiences with the opportunity to experience the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company. A leader in contemporary dance since 1926, and acclaimed by audiences and critics in more than 50 countries, the company is embracing a new vision, showcasing masterpieces by Graham, along with other newly commissioned works by contemporary artists, such as this program’s world premiere of Tom Hormel’s Legend of Bird Mountain. South Florida Symphony Orchestra’s founder and conductor, Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, is excited by this historic collaboration, which includes a performance of Appalachian Spring, composed by Aaron Copland in 1943, and awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. The ballet celebrates the marriage of two Pennsylvania pioneers.For the second act, the company interprets Rite of Spring, composed by Igor …