Dear Friends, 

It is an incredible honor to step into the role of Artistic Director at Miami City Ballet, especially during such a meaningful moment: our 40th Anniversary Season. 

Forty years is more than a milestone—it’s a celebration of all the people, passion, and artistry that have brought us to this point. It’s a time to reflect on our remarkable history, to honor the visionaries who built this company, and to step boldly into a vibrant new chapter. 

Miami is a city like no other—constantly evolving, full of energy and possibility—and Miami City Ballet is proud to be part of that heartbeat. Right now, the spirit of this city, the creative energy of this company, and the promise of this moment are aligning in a way that feels truly special. My hope is to build on that momentum and continue shaping MCB as a vital cultural force—not just in Miami, but far beyond. 

This season is filled with moments I can’t wait to share with you. We open with a dynamic program from one of my closest collaborators, Justin Peck. Two of the works were created especially for MCB, making this a deeply personal and powerful way to launch the season. Justin represents the future of ballet, and it’s a joy to give him this stage. 

At the same time, we celebrate the giants of our art form—Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Alonzo King, José Limón, Christopher Wheeldon—and of course, the timeless genius of George Balanchine, with masterpieces like Serenade and Jewels. 

We also pay tribute to someone whose vision made all of this possible: Toby Lerner Ansin. Her passion and commitment gave birth to this company and has sustained it for four decades. To honor her 85th birthday, we’ve commissioned a world premiere from Alexei Ratmansky—a fitting tribute to a woman who has inspired growth, nurtured creativity, and propelled MCB to new heights. 

And of course, this celebration wouldn’t be complete without you—our audience, our supporters, our community. This season is a thank-you to all who have walked this journey with us, and a warm welcome to those just joining us. I can’t wait to meet you, to hear your stories, and to dream together about what’s next. 

Here’s to honoring the past, embracing the present, and imagining a bold future for dance in Miami. 

See you in the theater,
Gonzalo Garcia
Miami City Ballet Artistic Director

YEAR OF THE RABBIT

Choreography Justin Peck
Composer Sufjan Stevens, and orchestration by Michael P. Atkinson
Costume Design by Justin Peck, supervised by Marc Happel
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker

Year of the Rabbit – Justin Peck’s stunning collaboration with American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens - was the breakthrough ballet for America’s most heralded young choreographer. As The New York Times noted, Rabbit’s first performance at New York City Ballet, in 2012, was greeted by ovation after ovation: “The emotion of Year of The Rabbit is joy, epitomized by the ballerinas who are sent sliding across the floor, toboggans with pointed toes.” 

This brilliant work is characterized by a constant flow of invention, all of it dazzlingly fresh, as well as by Peck’s extraordinary grasp of structure – a rare quality among today’s choreographers. From the moment the curtain goes up you know you’re in the hands of a master.  No wonder that Alastair Macaulay acclaimed him as “the third important choreographer to have emerged in classical ballet this century following Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky.”

MCB premiere: February 12, 2016, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, FL.

Sufjan Stevens’ Enjoy Your Rabbit, admin. New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP.

The acquisition of Year of the Rabbit is made possible by a generous contribution from the Ansin Foundation in honor of Miami City Ballet Founder, Toby Lerner Ansin’s 75th birthday and in celebration of Miami City Ballet’s 30th Anniversary Season.

CHUTES AND LADDERS 

Choreography Justin Peck
Composer Benjamin Britten
Costume Design by Haydée Morales and Justin Peck
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker

Chutes and Ladders, a pas de deux named after the children's board game, had its world premiere as part of the New World Symphony's "New Work" program of contemporary art in April 2013.  Inspired by the "hypnotic, introverted/extroverted nature" of the First Movement of Britten's String Quartet No. 1 and its “unpredictable progression,” Peck wrote the following about his work:

The music, like our minds, moves from one thought to the next, yet each thought has the potential to stand on its own. The intimacy found within Britten’s score lends itself not only to creating a concentrated tension between the two dancers, but also between the dancers and the musicians. Most importantly, this pas de deux is about exposing the subtleties, nuances and undertones of the music through dance.

Originally created for the thrust stage at the New World Center and performed in-the-round, it was necessary for Peck to return to Miami in 2013 to readdress his ballet and adapt it for the proscenium stages where it will now be performed.   

Chutes and Ladders was co-commissioned by the New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet and made possible by a generous grant from the New World Symphony.

World premiere by MCB: April 20, 2013, New World Center, Miami Beach, FL.

*String Quartet No. 1, 1st Movement (1941), by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.

The mainstage premiere of Chutes and Ladders was presented thanks to the generosity of Bob Benson.

HEATSCAPE

Choreography Justin Peck
Composer Bohuslav Martinů
Art Design by Shepard Fairey
Costume Design by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker

Justin Peck has always viewed dance as a meeting place for all artistic mediums. It is in this spirit of creative collaboration that he sought out renowned visual artist Shepard Fairey to develop a vibrant visual design for Heatscape – Peck’s second commission for Miami City Ballet. 

Peck initially began examining Fairey’s (ObeyGiant) street art while exploring Miami’s Wynwood Art District. Fairey, who had never designed for ballet, worked closely with Peck to create a visual setting that is as bold as the movement and music. The design emanates from Fairey’s mandala paintings which, Peck told Vogue, inspired him to create these movements that start from the center and build outward in a meticulously detailed fashion. "That means of construct inspired me to develop certain choreographic techniques within this ballet."

Peck chose to choreograph this ballet to Bohuslav Martinů’s relatively unknown Piano Concerto No. 1. “I consider this work to be a hidden gem that is not only rich with texture, innovation and relevance to the current day, but is also tremendously danceable.  It has buoyancy, playfulness and emotion—and a sturdy blueprint to guide me in the choreographic process.  This piece of music has been on my radar for a few years now, and I felt that Miami City Ballet would be the perfect vessel for realizing a ballet in relation to it.” 

Building upon the personalities and movement qualities of each dancer, Peck was prompted to create “a unique world based-off-of and tailor-made-toward these human beings.” The result is a moving and beautifully structured ballet of camaraderie -- a tribute to the community of individuals that is Miami City Ballet. 

“For me, this ballet has become a long-term dialogue among Miami City Ballet, Wynwood Arts District, Shepard Fairey, Bohuslav Martinů and the larger community of Miami. It is the outcome of taking some ingredients that don’t conventionally belong together, adding some heat, and seeing what sorts of flavors emerge.”

World premiere by Miami City Ballet: March 27, 2015, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach, FL. 

* Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra. Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors LLC, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music GmbH & Co., KG, publisher and copyright owner.

The original production of Heatscape was made possible by a New Works grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts: ArtWorks, Armando and Margarita Codina, and Bob Benson.

Additional support provided by: Helen P. Welch, Madeline and Stephen Anbinder, Nina and William Albert, Rosalee and Richard Davison, Adelaida Muñiz-Iscoe and Gary Iscoe, Michael Schultz, Miriam Flamm, Carole Gigliotti.

* indicates Miami City Ballet School Alumni

Artistic Director: Gonzalo Garcia 

Executive Director: Juan José Escalante 

Chairman of the Board of Directors & Trustees: Jeff Davis

ARTISTIC 

General Manager: John D. Hall

Company Manager: Jessica Perez

Principal Rehearsal Director: Roma Sosenko

Rehearsal Directors: Joan Latham, Arnold Quintane, and Tricia Albertson

Company Class Accompanist: Leana Reisman

Company Pianist: Francisco Rennó

Music Director and Principal Conductor: Gary Sheldon

PRODUCTION AND WARDROBE 

Production Stage Manager: Kelly Brown

Assistant Stage Manager: Bailey Kirk 

Head Carpenter: Brian Harris 

Head Properties: Nicanor Smith

Head Electrician: Shane Cassidy

Assistant Electrician: Elvin Thomas

Sound Engineer: Sean M. Deceunick 

Assistant Carpenter/Flyman: James Sampedro

Properties Assistant: Gary Darling

Projection Operator: Wilmer Arellano

In Memorium: Richard Carter 

Wardrobe Manager: Carrie Cabrera 

Wardrobe Master: Ricardo "Pico" Asturias

Wardrobe Mistress: Natalie Axley

School Wardrobe Mistress: Ibis Hernandez 

Shoe Inventory Assistant: Helen Cave

Seamstress/Seamster: Julia Villalobos, Alberto Fages

Makeup Artist: Carol Raskin

In Memorium: Jennifer Conrad 

DEVELOPMENT 

Senior Director of Development: Dena Liston

Senior Director, Major Gifts: Orene Tross-Harris 

Director of Special Events: Heather Rush

Director of Foundation and Government Relations: Michele Scanlan 

Manager of Foundation and Government Relations: Lee Eachus

Associate Director of Individual Giving- Palm Beach: Samantha Hurwitch

MARKETING 

Chief Marketing Officer: Chantell Ghosh

Senior Director of Marketing Operations: Mary Landreth

Director of Marketing, Communications, and Content: Anne Mortomore

Director of Audience and Ticketing Services: Joshua Wickard

Senior Creative Services & Content Manager: Ali Castro

Senior Production Designer: Mina Rhee

Marketing Coordinator, Events & Creative Services: Masha Enriquez

Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator: Eden Cohen

Manager, Ticketing Operations: Katharine Baines

Associate Coordinator, Audience Services and Ticketing: Leyda Castro and Adam Gamer

Audience Services Representatives: Jade Emmanuel, Randy Fumero, Yuan Gonzalez, Andrea Lastra, Sofia Osorio, Jennifer Parra, and Mariangel Rivero

General Press Representation: Billy Zavelson/Richard Kornberg & Associates

Marketing & Customer Relations Consultant: Nicole Wetzell

Creative Direction Consultant: Ron Roberts

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

Director of Community Engagement: Brenda Alba

Community Dance Education Programs Manager: Norma Fuisting

Community Engagement Coordinator: Bianca Guirado

Arts in Education Program 

Teaching Artists and Musicians: Kassie Abreu, Blaire Andrews, Matthew Aubeuf, Efrain Chibas, Bradley Dunlap, Claudia Lezcano, Nuria Martinez, Luis Ocasio, Rae Wilcoxson 

Community Engagement Program Assistants: Merle Inasi and Noeli Morejon 

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS 

Chief Financial Officer: Ainsworth Geddes

Payroll Manager: Marisa Rios-Lopez 

Finance and Donor System Manager: Carlos Lopez 

Staff Accountant: John Colon

Senior Director of Human Resources: Lina Aguirre 

Human Resources Assistant and Office Manager:  Joy Stanfield

MIAMI CITY BALLET SCHOOL 

School Artistic Director: Arantxa Ochoa 

School Managing Director: Cameron Basden

School Operations Manager: Jessica Bork 

Pre-Professionals Manager & Artistic Liaison: Manon Maher

School Programs Manager: Amanda Del Cerro

School Administrative Assistant: Vanessa Haro

Housing Manager: Nellani Rainford

Front Desk Receptionist: Carmen Ramos

School Resident Choreographer: Durante Verzola

Principal Faculty: Katia Carranza & Alexander Iziliaev

Faculty: Leslie Young Cheng, Claudia Kuwana, Claudia Lezcano, Rosa Mercedes, Michaela Mann, Maribel Modrono, Fabian Morales, Kareen Pauld Camargo, Herman Payne, Renato Penteado, Rilanty Septiantari

Pianists: Marianela Castro, Juvenal Correa-Salas, Gladys Fariñas, Vivian Gonzalez, Yraima Menendez, Teresa Valdivia 

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS 

Employment and Labor Law: Lisa Berg, Esq. — Stearns Weaver Miller, et al, P.A. 

Immigration Law: Glenn Rissman, Esq. — Stearns Weaver Miller, et al, P.A. 

Auditor: Robbins and Moroney, P.A. 

MEDICAL PROVIDERS

Lead Physical Therapist: Lily McCrossin

Company Physician: Kathleen L. Davenport, MD

Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Specialist: Steven David Steinlauf, MD

Massage Therapist: Alexis Somoano LMT, Jill Davison, LMT

Part-Time Physical Therapists:  Audrey Lugo PT, DPT, CSCS, and Bethany Cook, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS

Strength and Conditioning: Chase Swatosh

Nutritionist: Maria Vallasciani MS, RD, LD/N, RN, CNSC, IBCLC

Mental Health: Dr. Scott Leydig, Psy.D.

Jeffrey Davis, Chair

Charles Adelman
Jill E. Braufman
Veronica de Zayas, Esq.
Alex DiLeonardo
Juan José Escalante, Ex Officio
Robert Friezo
Gonzalo Garcia, Ex Officio
Dan Gelber, Former Mayor of Miami Beach
Kathy Guttman
Bruce Halpryn, PH.D.
Maria Hernandez
Kristi Jernigan
Mamie Joeveer
Susan D. Kronick
Allen London
Manny Marquez
Eleanor Pao
Saul Sanders, Treasurer
Michael Schultz
J. Randall Waterfield
Fehmi Zeko

Sara Minsoff Allan 
Toby Lerner Ansin, Founder 
Robert Chaskes 
Lester Coney 
Philip DeBoer 
Susan Fox-Rosellini 
James Freeze 
Sheila O’Malley Fuchs 
Dini Golden  
Janine Gordon 
Gretchen “Pearl” Johnson 
Elissa Kramer 
Sara Solomon 
Barbara Sullivan 
Elizabeth “Zibby” Tozer 
John Vogelstein 
Suzy Wahba 
Gail Wasserman 
Charmaine Waterfield 
Diana S.C. Zeydel 

Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, Past Chair
Mike Eidson, Past Chair
Ron Esserman*, Past Chair
Robert Gottlieb*
Jacqueline Kott*
R. Kirk Landon*
Gerri LeBow*
Rhoda Levitt, Past Chair
Rita Stein*

*Deceased

Major funding for Miami City Ballet provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Arison Arts Foundation, and The Ansin Foundation. Miami-Dade County support provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, with support from the City of Miami Beach Department of Tourism and Culture, Cultural Arts Council, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has been a generous supporter of Miami City Ballet with over $14.2 million in cumulative giving since the company’s founding.