Miami City Ballet Sets Spring Season

(PRESS RELEASE)_(Miami Beach, FL — January 27, 2023) – Under the steadfast artistic direction of Lourdes Lopez, Miami City Ballet (MCB) concludes its 37th season of dance with three distinct programs over the course of Winter and Spring 2023. Firmly making its mark as one of the country’s premier dance companies, MCB also welcomes new Executive Director Juan José Escalante into the fold as they embark on an ever-ambitious spring season that includes three world premieres from as many noteworthy choreographers, including choreographic stars Amy Hall Garner and Pontus Lindberg, works from greats George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and the addition of the company’s first Martha Graham work to its repertoire. Additionally, the company will present free performances throughout South Florida of a second Amy Hall Garner work, Rita Finds Home, a family-friendly collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet. The annual MCB Gala, hosted by “So You Think You Can Dance” Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe and celebrating Lourdes Lopez’s decade of accomplishments with MCB, will feature excerpts from Robbins’ glorious West Side Story Suite on Thursday, March 30. For more information, please visit www.miamicityballet.org. 

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​The culmination of a hallmark year of bold dance innovation and honoring the vast history of the art form, Miami City Ballet is poised to deliver program after program of dance at the highest level throughout South Florida. Tickets, starting at $30, are available online miamicityballet.org/subscriptions or by phone at 305.929.7010 or toll-free at 877.929.7010.
 
Current Executive Director of National Dance Institute Juan José Escalante makes a Miami homecoming as he steps into the role of Miami City Ballet’s Executive Director this spring. Not only does Mr. Escalante have a history with the company—having worked with MCB early in his career, during its formative years—but also brings more than 30 years of artistic leadership to help guide Miami City Ballet further along its meteoric path to success. In addition to his tenure as Executive Director for José Limón Dance Company in New York City, he has previously served in the same position for two other Florida-based companies: Ballet Florida and Orlando Ballet.
 
“I am beyond grateful to return to the place where it all started,” says Escalante. “South Florida has always embraced me with open arms, and to help usher in even more artistic achievements for the incomparable Miami City Ballet is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
 
With the start of Escalante’s tenure, MCB kicks off a spring itinerary filled to the brim with exciting new works—both world premieres and new to the company’s repertoire—as well as sure-fire hits from some of the world’s greatest dancemakers. February and March see the company perform its first-ever Martha Graham work, the joyous Diversion of Angels, as part of a mixed bill entitled Modern Masters. The evening will also include José Limón’s pivotal The Moor’s Pavane, based on Shakespeare’s Othello, as well as world premiere works from two of the dance world’s most inventive choreographers: Resplendent Fantasy by Black American choreographer Amy Hall Garner, and Petrichor by in-demand Swedish dancemaker Pontus Lindberg.
 
April’s action-packed triple bill, Fresh & Fierce, is for the fashion lovers, musical theatre fans, and dance aficionados alike. Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite brings the magic of the classic musical to the concert dance stage, while Balanchine’s Divertimento No 15, set to Mozart’s eponymous music, will dazzle audiences. The stunning program is rounded out by Sentimento, a new commission by Miami City Ballet School alum Durante Verzola, set to music by Ernesto Lecuona with costumes designed by fashion icon Esteban Cortázar. 
 
The season concludes in May with a double dose of more Balanchine and Robbins in a program entitled Entradas, this time featuring Robbins’ famed Afternoon of a Faun and the company premiere of his Greek-inspired work Antique Epigraphs. The pair of Balanchine pieces, Symphony in Three Movements and Square Dance, perfectly demonstrate the company’s artistic prowess and see them finish the season with the technical attack and fiery spirit for which they are known.
 
Below is a full schedule for the Spring 2023 season of Miami City Ballet:

Modern Masters
Diversion of Angels (Graham/Dello Joio)
The Moor’s Pavane (Limón/Purcell)
Petrichor (Lindberg/Glass)
Resplendent Fantasy (Garner/Davis, Dove, Komitas)
Arsht Center, Feb 10-12; Kravis Center, Feb 17-19; Broward Center, Mar 4-5 

Special FREE Family-Friendly Program
Rita Finds Home
Choreographed by Amy Hall Garner
A Collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet
Performed by Miami City Ballet School Pre-Professional Students
Sanctuary Of the Arts, Feb 4-5; Adrienne Arsht Center, Feb 11
Society of the Four Arts, Feb 25; Haulover Beach, Mar 12
Registration is Required for Free Tickets

MCB’s West Side Story Gala – Thursday, March 30
Featuring excerpts from Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite
Celebrating Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez’s decade of accomplishments with MCB 
Honoring John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and President/CEO Alberto Ibargüen 
Hosted by “So You Think You Can Dance” Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe

Fresh & Fierce
West Side Story Suite (Robbins/Bernstein)
Divertimento No 15 (Balanchine/Mozart)
Sentimento (Verzola/Lecuona)
Arsht Center, Apr 14-16; Kravis Center, Apr 21-23; Broward Center, Apr 29-30
 
Entradas
Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins/Debussy)
Square Dance (Balanchine/Vivaldi/Corelli)
Antique Epigraphs (Robbins/Debussy)
Symphony in Three Movements (Balanchine/Stravinsky)
Kravis Center, May 12-14; Arsht Center, May 19-21

Flexible Create Your Own Series subscriptions are available. Select from three or four performance combinations at your choice of theater on any available date. 
 
Subscriptions may be purchased through the Miami City Ballet Box Office, Monday – Friday, 9am – 7pm, Saturday, 12pm – 4pm.

Online: miamicityballet.org/subscribe
Phone or text: 305.929.7010 or Toll Free 877.929.7010
Mail: 2200 Liberty Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
* Programming and dates are subject to change.