Miami City Ballet Celebrates 40 Years

Dawn Atkins in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker ® Choreography by George Balanchine© Balanchine Trust.(Photo by Alexander Iziliaev )

(Press Release) (Miami Beach, FL – July 24, 2025) — Miami City Ballet (MCB) turns 40 with a bang. In June, MCB announced the appointment of Gonzalo Garcia as its new Artistic Director, opened a new residence hall for promising ballet students from across the globe, and completed a successful tour to Costa Mesa, California. Now MCB unveils a reimagined anniversary season that’s as colorful and captivating as the city it calls home. Spanning eight programs, the milestone 2025–26 season pulses with vibrant storytelling, cultural connection, and bold theatricality. In an age of endless noise and digital static, MCB offers something more essential: a space to reconnect—with art, with others, and with the rhythm that makes us feel most alive. Leave the noise. Find your rhythm. For more information about the new 40th Anniversary season, please visit www.MiamiCityBallet.org.

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​​From electric world premieres by Alexei Ratmansky and Durante Verzola, to the explosive rhythms of Twyla Tharp, Justin Peck, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, José Limón, and Alonzo King, and the timeless brilliance of George Balanchine, and Paul Taylor, MCB is not just looking back—it’s leaping forward, with swagger, style, and soul. The anniversary season includes a record number of pieces presented in more venues to uplift and serve our community.

New Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia steps into his leadership role this summer as MCB moves into its fifth decade. As he begins shaping his vision for a fully curated 2026–27 season, Garcia brings fresh perspective and a deep appreciation for the company’s roots—leading this year’s performances with passion and purpose.

“It’s an extraordinary honor to step into leadership at Miami City Ballet as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary,” says Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia. “The upcoming season is a vibrant reflection of MCB’s artistic identity—dynamic, diverse, and deeply connected to the community it serves. I’m excited to see these programs come to life with our incredible dancers and to continue building on this inspiring legacy in the seasons ahead.” 

In an expansion of its South Florida footprint, MCB is launching a new partnership with The Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, bringing intimate, emotionally charged programs to a space that invites audiences in close. This exciting addition joins the company’s cherished, ongoing collaborations with its home venues—the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts—where MCB continues to dazzle audiences with large-scale repertory and world-class productions.

“This milestone season reflects the vibrancy of Miami City Ballet—its artistic excellence, its deep community roots, and its continued evolution,” says Board Chair Jeff Davis. “We’re thrilled to welcome Gonzalo’s leadership as we look ahead with energy and clarity. This anniversary year is a celebration of where we’ve been and the bright future we’re building together.”

"As we approached this milestone season, we took the time to truly listen—to our audiences, our artists, and our community," said Miami City Ballet Executive Director Juan José Escalante. "What emerged is a season that radiates joy, celebrates creativity, and reflects the cultural richness of our city, all while strengthening the long-term vitality of the company. This refreshed lineup reaffirms our commitment to exceptional artistry in a way that is both sustainable and unmistakably Miami."

MIAMI CITY BALLET’S 40th ANNIVERSARY SEASONPECK: MIAMI IN MOTION
October 17–19, 2025 | Arsht Center, Miami
November 1–2, 2025 | Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale
Fall ignites with the heat of Justin Peck—Tony Award-winner and choreographic rockstar. This high-octane triple bill brings together Year of the Rabbit, Chutes and Ladders, and Heatscape, a steamy, streetwise love letter to Miami’s own Wynwood Walls, set to a driving score by Bohuslav Martinů and backed by Shepard Fairey’s iconic visuals. This program pulses with pop, pattern, and pure motion—authentically Miami and wildly alive. Single tickets for this program go on sale August 12 at www.MiamiCityBallet.org. 

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER®
December 12–28, 2025 | Arsht Center, Miami
The Magic City’s most magical holiday tradition is back—with 21 performances and a snowstorm of sparkle. Featuring a live orchestra, immersive pre-show experience, and a Sugarplum Fairy that floats like the tropics in winter, this is the iconic George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®—MCB style. Sunshine, snowflakes, and the sweetest escape of the season. And back by delicious demand, Land of Sweets returns—an immersive, sugar-dusted experience created in collaboration with the brilliant minds at MAD Arts. Open to all ticket-holders, it brings an extra touch of magic to every visit. 
Tickets for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® are now on sale at 
https://www.MiamiCityBallet.org. 

INTO THE MAGIC CITY
February 20–22, 2026 | Arsht Center, Miami
February 28–March 1, 2026 | Kravis Center, West Palm Beach
With George Balanchine’s soul-stirring Serenade and a bold new world premiere by Alexei Ratmansky honoring MCB founder Toby Lerner Ansin, this winter mix with live orchestra channels the city’s energy, elegance, and edge. It’s history and future colliding under the Miami spotlight—electric, emotional, and deeply personal. Single tickets for this program go on sale September 10 at www.MiamiCityBallet.org.

ACROSS THE RIVER OF LIGHT
March 7–8, 2026 | The Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale
Step into the intimacy of The Parker for a glowing evening of duets that radiate tenderness, sensuality, and soul. From Christopher Wheeldon’s haunting This Bitter Earth to Durante Verzola’s nostalgic, Latin-infused Sentimiento, this is ballet turned inward—and turned up—with South Florida flair.

JEWELS
March 27–29, 2026 | Arsht Center, Miami
April 3, 2026 | Kravis Center, West Palm Beach
George Balanchine’s glittering three-part masterwork returns in full force. Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds sparkle with their own unique rhythm and personality—from French romanticism to Stravinsky’s jazz crackle to sweeping Russian grandeur. Pure elegance. All drama. Total dazzle.

CARMEN
March 26 & 28, 2026 | Arsht Center, Miami
April 4–5, 2026 | Kravis Center, West Palm Beach
She’s back and she owns the stage. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Carmen returns with a fiery vengeance, blending classical ballet with flamenco heat and theatrical bite. Set to a newly reimagined score with live orchestra, this production is fierce, fearless, and fabulously unrestrained—just like its heroine.

YOUR PERFECT GOLDEN HOUR
April 11–12, 2026 | The Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale
At The Parker, the spring glows with works by other beautiful choreographic voices: Amy Hall Garner, José Limón, and Alonzo King. From Resplendent Fantasy’s kinetic joy to Moor’s Pavane’s haunting drama and King’s hypnotic Following the Subtle Current Upstream, this is ballet at its most expressive and out-of-the-box. Diverse, daring, and deeply moving.

¡VAMOS! TO THE BEACH
May 1–3, 2026 | Arsht Center, Miami
May 9–10, 2026 | Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale
Let’s end the season the only way Miami knows how—on a high. Paul Taylor’s Company B swings with wartime nostalgia. Durante Verzola debuts a jazzy, Deco-flavored premiere set to Gershwin. And Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe makes waves with The Beach Boys and balletic groove. It’s a dance party, a beach day, and a season finale all in one. Bring your shades.

PERFORMANCE VENUESMiami City Ballet performs throughout South Florida at the following venues:

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

Broward Center for the Performing Arts
201 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
701 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

The Parker Playhouse
707 NE 8th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

TICKETING INFORMATIONSubscriptions for Miami City Ballet’s 2025–26 40th Anniversary Season start at just $120 and are on sale now. Subscribers enjoy exclusive benefits including priority seating, pre-sale access, and free ticket exchanges. Visit www.MiamiCityBallet.org or by call 305.929.7010 or toll-free 877.929.7010 to reserve.

Tickets for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® are now on sale at www.MiamiCityBallet.org

Tickets for Peck: Miami in Motion go on sale August 12 at www.MiamiCityBallet.org
Tickets for all other programs in MCB’s 40th Anniversary Season go on sale September 10 at www.MiamiCityBallet.org