Dance

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Balanchine/Rodgers) Balanchine’s sassy and spirited Slaughter on Tenth Avenue and Richard Rodgers’ tantalizing Broadway score open the season with a bang in a 1930s speakeasy. It’s a hilarious parody of hijinks and high kicks, gangsters and cops, in this ballet about the tap dancer and the impossible stripper he falls in love with. But watch out – her jealous boyfriend is the brutal Big Boss, and he’s hiding in the theatre waiting for the moment to pull the trigger on the hoofer... will the police nab him in time? Mercuric Tidings (Taylor/Schubert) In tribute to the late Paul Taylor, Miami City Ballet performs this celebration of “body in motion” in this “exhilarating, blisteringly fast dance.” (Miami Herald) Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Balanchine/Stravinsky) Here, Stravinsky’s music provided the perfect platform for Balanchine to push his stylistic experiments. This is all-out dancing and expression with pure technique.

Company Premiere of I’m Old Fashioned (Robbins/Gould) Miami City Ballet is joined by two larger than life stars, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, in Jerome Robbins’ stunning I’m Old Fashioned, on a huge screen dancing and gliding alongside Miami City Ballet dancers. This tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood is big, glamorous and simply irresistible! Company Premiere of This Bitter Earth (Wheeldon/Richter, Otis) Christopher Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth is utterly riveting…deeply moving. Set to the gorgeously haunting music of Max Richter and Dinah Washington, this simple yet dramatically powerful and breathtaking work lingers far after it’s over. Tschaikovsky Pas De Deux (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky) Symphonic Dances (Ratmansky/Rachmaninoff) A dramatic, fast-paced work by one of the world’s most sought-after, visionary choreographers Alexei Ratmansky. Set to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s lush, powerful score of the same name.

Company Premiere of Firebird (Balanchine, Robbins/Stravinsky) Alive with color, excitement, and spectacular effects, Firebird is a fantastical and thrilling story about magic, love, danger and liberation. Enter this mystical world of a young hunter, a Princess in captivity, and the immortal, magical Firebird in one of the greatest of all fairy tales. Nine Sinatra Songs (Tharp/Sinatra) Perhaps Twyla Tharp’s most popular and universal hit, Nine Sinatra Songs radiates glamour, excitement, seduction and fun as seven swirling couples, bedecked in Oscar de la Renta’s fabulous costumes, take center stage with the best of Ol’ Blue Eyes: All the Way, That’s Life, Strangers in the Night, and My Way. Company Premiere of Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes (Peck/Copland) Rodeo features just one woman and fifteen men! From Justin Peck, America’s leading young choreographer (2018 Tony-Award Winner and choreographer of the upcoming Stephen Spielberg remake of West Side Story), this groundbreaking work takes to Aaron Copland’s beloved score.

Don Quixote (Petipa/Minkus) Into the town square rides the immortal Don Quixote, searching for his idea of womanhood and accompanied by his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza. This is a vibrant, kaleidoscopic delight with ruffled skirts swirling, toreadors strutting, street dancers cavorting plus flower girls, a troop of gypsies and more in this unforgettable, fully-staged production. With its maddeningly hummable Minkus score, Don Quixote is a never-ending stream of pleasure, climaxed by the famous Pas de Deux and punctuated by one of Petipa’s most beautiful vision scenes. It’s classical dancing at its most exquisite—and demanding. The leaps! The balances! The bravura!

The thrilling new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® returns, featuring magical sets and costumes by renowned artists Isabel and Ruben Toledo. Experience a dazzling winter wonderland of dancing snowflakes, The Sugarplum Fairy and an epic battle between heroic toy soldiers and mischievous mice, set to Tchaikovsky’s dreamlike score. It’s the holiday show to see! GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER® (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)

Ballet Stars from Companies around the world perform pas de deux from famous classical ballets.

For the past 24 years, the International Ballet Festival of Miami has been recognized as the most important in the US presenting the best in dance from international ballet stars and contemporary companies, most who have never been seen in the USA. A once in a lifetime performance.
 

PROGRAM IV - THE SPRING BALLET GALA The final program of the season will be the “Spring Ballet Gala”, with a classical repertoire that only high-quality dancers can perform. The repertoire includes the most famous classical Pas de Deux and neoclassical pieces choreographed by Master Issaev and guest choreoghaphers who promise to shatter expectations of what ballet really is.

PROGRAM III - DR. OUCH ! Opening the Spring season, the company brings “Dr. Ouch! ” (March 7, 8 and 15) a ballet in two acts based on children poems about the fun adventures lived by nice Dr. Ouch while going to Africa to cure ill monkeys. Based on the books of Kornei Chukovsky, the ballet features music of I. Morozov, choreography by Vladimir Issaev and imaginative costumes designed by creative custom designer Jorge Gallardo. This performance is part of the family series that the “Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida” Ballet Company presents to the young audiences in South Florida.

PROGRAM II THE NUTCRACKER In December, “The Nutcracker” returns to the stage to delight audiences with its beloved music and brilliant dancing. The annual production of the 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 boys and magical dolls to the scene, along with the company awarded dancers and local artists, to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center and the Parker Playhouse. Over the years, this festive family-friendly ballet presented by the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida’s Company has become a cherished tradition within the families of South Florida during the Holiday’s Season. In this program, Arts Ballet features its team of professional dancers performing the principal roles accompanied by a community cast made up of local character artists and children for the party scene.

With a wide variety of programs ranging from contemporary and Neoclassical pieces such as “Eros Game” by Cuban choreographer Alberto Mendez, to works for the whole family - including "The Nutcracker" for the Holidays and “Dr. Ouch” during the Spring, the Ballet Company “Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida” is ready to present its 22nd season. Led by Artistic Director Master Vladimir Issaev, the North Miami-Dade based ballet company (founded in 1997) produces a full season of excellent works of classical Russian-style ballets, Neoclassical ballets and Contemporary dance works, making professional ballet performances accessible to the diverse audiences of South Florida. The season opens on October 5th, featuring a selection of neoclassical contemporary works of the XXI Century that includes: “Eros Game” by Cuban choreographer Alberto Mendez, “Four Seasons” by Verdi, “Shostakovich Suites” and “Fuga con Pajarillo” with music by Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero and choreography by Vladimir Issaev, accompanied by the recently founded Kameristika Chamber Orchestra.