Miami City Ballet is grateful to Baptist Health, the official healthcare partner for our company dancers.

We are so glad you’re here. We are thrilled to present a season that celebrates ballet’s past, present, and future. As Miami City Ballet nears the end of our 37th year of dance, we stand in awe of this extraordinary company and all its infinite possibilities.

This season we shared Shakespeare's most famous love story as told through John Cranko's masterpiece Romeo and Juliet, and now once again through Jerome Robbins' ever popular West Side Story Suite.

We brought you a sampling of modern dance pioneers, Martha Graham and José Limón, while ushering in diverse, boundary-breaking choreographic voices such as Pontus Lidberg and Amy Hall Garner.

Next, we connect visionary young artists, like choreographer Durante Verzola and fashion industry icon Esteban Cortázar, to the past through the music of Cuban pianist Ernesto Lecuona.

And finally, we bring you “entradas”, or an entryway, into the origins of American ballet through masterworks by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. We’re delighted to premiere a reimagined Square Dance, giving it a decidedly South Florida twist.

Thank you for being with us and sharing in these stories that we hope will emotionally transport, inspire, and most of all, entertain you.

With love,

Lourdes Lopez Artistic Director	Juan José Escalante Executive Director

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Divertimento No. 15

Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Divertimento No. 15 in B-flat, K. 287-1777

Staged by Miami City Ballet

Principals staged by Philip Neal

Costume Design by Karinska

Lighting Design by John Hall

George Balanchine loved Mozart’s 15^th divertimento so deeply – he regarded it as the greatest divertimento ever composed – that he created two different ballets to it. The second, from 1956, remains in the repertories of ballet companies around the world – beloved for its elegance, its charming relaxed classicism, its melodic fluency. And for its five virtuoso ballerina roles.

“This is a ballet of the aristocracy,” wrote dance historian Nancy Reynolds. “Cut crystal rather than diamond glitter characterizes the ballet’s delicate sparkle. It is one of Balanchine’s purest dance creations – a string of dances, solos, ensembles, pas de deux – with muted emotional overtones.” Here is style without affectation, feeling without self-dramatization. And from the start, regarded as a Balanchine masterpiece.

Premiere: January 6, 1989, Bailey Concert Hall, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The encore production of Divertimento No. 15 was made possible by a grant in memory of Sheila Natasha Simrod Friedman.
Divertimento No. 15 was made possible by a gift from a very special friend of Miami City Ballet.
The performance of Divertimento No. 15, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service Standards established and provided by the Trust.

World Premiere: Sentimiento

Choreography by Durante Verzola
Music by Ernesto Lecuona, Gitanerías*, Siempre En Mi Corazón**,  Zambra Gitana*, San Francisco El Grande*, Damisela Encantadora*, Music Box*,  Burlesca (Danza Cubana)*, Aragón*, Yo Te Quiero Siempre (I Always Love You)*

Costume Design by Esteban Cortázar

Lighting Design by Les Dickert

Sentimiento is a ballet comprised of a series of dance vignettes, set to the piano pieces of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona.

Much inspiration was taken from the vibrancy, energy, mystery, and magic of Miami and Miami Beach. One can see a sunlit, bright beach day, the neon lights of Ocean Drive, a hazy candlelit Cuban club on Calle Ocho, or a couple of lovers on a glamorous beachside veranda on a moonlit night. Lecouna’s sweeping, grand, and dynamic music, arranged by pianist Francisco Rennó, carries the dancers through dramatic, syncopated, and expressive movements. The colorful, whimsical, and rich designs of Esteban Cortázar set the tone and atmosphere throughout the work. 

The ballet is choreographed by Durante Verzola, an alumni of the school, who got his choreographic start at Miami City Ballet School when he was still a student, and who has now returned to the school to teach and nurture the next generation of dancers. 

Through all of these thoughts and inspirations, Verzola hopes to show the power and aspects of love, human connection, and spirit using the transformative power of dance. 

* via Round Hill Music Publishers
** Used by permission of Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

West Side Story Suite

Choreography by Jerome Robbins

Co-choreographed by Peter Gennaro

Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim*

Staged by Jean-Pierre Frohlich

Costume Design by Irene Sharaff

Set Design by Oliver Smith

Scenic Supervision by Rosario Sinisi

Lighting Design by Jennifer Tipton

Recreated by Les Dickert

In 1995 – almost forty years after his great musical West Side Story opened on Broadway – Jerome Robbins decided to distill and reshape it into a dance work for New York City Ballet. The result is an electrifying and moving ballet that both shadows the original and stands alone as a thrilling original.

Once again we are galvanized by the glorious music of Leonard Bernstein, the brilliant lyrics of Stephen Sondheim (Yes! The dancers sing!), and the tragic arc of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. And we experience a new, deeply felt spiritual culmination that reminds us of just how groundbreaking, how unique, West Side Story was. Like the show that inspired it, like the Oscar-winning movie version that followed, West Side Story Suite has been a tremendous hit from the day of its premiere.

Premiere: Feb. 14, 2014, Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami, FL.
*West Side Story Suite is used by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Sole Agent for Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company LLC, publisher and copyright owner. 
 Performed by permission of the Robbins Rights Trust.

Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez

Executive Director Juan José Escalante

Chair, Board of Trustees Jeff Davis

Founder Toby Lerner Ansin

Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella

Production and Lighting Director John D. Hall

Principal Conductor Gary Sheldon

Principal Rehearsal Director Roma Sosenko

Rehearsal Directors Joan Latham, Arnold Quintane

Company Pianist Francisco Rennó

* indicates Miami City Ballet School Alumni

Artistic Director: Lourdes Lopez

Executive Director: Juan José Escalante

Chairman of the Board of Directors & Trustees: Jeff Davis

ARTISTIC 

Chief of Staff to Artistic Director & Project Manager: Kiera O'Rourke

Company Manager: Jessica Perez

Principal Rehearsal Director: Roma Sosenko

Rehearsal Directors: Joan Latham and Arnold Quintane

Company Pianist: Francisco Rennó

Principal Conductor: Gary Sheldon

PRODUCTION AND WARDROBE 

Director of Production and Lighting: John Hall 

Production Stage Manager: Kelly Brown 

Assistant Stage Manager: Lauren Wickett

Head Carpenter: Brian Harris 

Properties Master: Marc Stoudt 

Head Electrician: Shane Cassidy

Assistant Electrician: Nicanor Smith

Sound Engineer: Sean M. Deceunick 

Projection Operator: Steve Covey 

In Memorium: Richard Carter 

Director of Costume Department: Eleanor Wolfe 

Wardrobe Master: Ricardo "Pico" Asturias

Wardrobe Mistress: Jennifer Conrad 

Shoe Inventory Assistant: Christie Scitturo

School Wardrobe Mistress: Ibis Hernandez 

Seamstress/Seamster: Julia Villalobos, Alberto Fages

Makeup Artist: Ellen Dawson 

DEVELOPMENT 

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: Matt Williams

Associate Director of Donor Relations: Alexandra Richter

Associate Director of Development Service: Carlos Collins

Special Events Manager: Somers Killian

Donor Relations Coordinator: Manon Maher

Executive Assistant: Adisa T. Murphy

MARKETING 

Chief Marketing Officer: Chantell Ghosh

Marketing & Customer Relations Consultant: Mary Landreth

Director of Marketing, Communications and Content: Anne Mortomore

Marketing Services Manager: Ali Castro

Graphic Designer: Mina Rhee

Digital Marketing Coordinator: Eden Cohen

Public Relations and Events Marketing Coordinator: Masha Enriquez

Customer Relations, Assistant Manager: Maritza Castro

Customer Service Representatives: Leyda Castro, Michael Tilis, Cheyla Monroy, Roger Mejia

General Press Representation: Billy Zavelson/Richard Kornberg & Associates

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

Director of Community Engagement: Monica Stephenson

Community Engagement Programs Manager: Tharesa Z. Perry 

Community Engagement Group Leader and Coordinator: Kristina Jackson-Zabaleta

Community Dance Education Programs Manager: Norma Fuisting

Arts in Education Program 

Teaching Artists: Vanya Allen, Meredith Barton, Stephanie Fuentes, Jennifer Puig, Kelly Robotham 

Community Engagement Program Assistants: Merle Inasi, Iman Clark, Noeli Morejon 

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS 

Chief Operating Officer: John J. Shumaker, C.P.A 

Payroll Manager: Marisa Rios-Lopez 

Senior Accountant: Carlos Lopez 

Human Resources Director: Lina Aguirre 

Human Resources Assistant and Office Manager:  Joy Stanfield 

MIAMI CITY BALLET SCHOOL 

Chair: Lourdes Lopez 

School Artistic Director: Arantxa Ochoa 

School Managing Director: Lisa De Ravel 

School Operations Manager: Jessica Bork 

School Programs Manager: Amanda Rodriguez

Dean of Student Affairs: Roslyn Ruiz

Student Life and Housing Manager: Amanda Rodriguez

School Administrative Assistant: Giana Ruffa

Manager of Housing and Student Support Services: Alexis Gibson

Principal Faculty: Alexander Iziliaev

Faculty: Mariana Alvarez Brake, Karee Pauld Camargo, Michele Chaviano, Sara Franco, Brittany Kernohan, Claudia Lezcano, Rosa Mercedes, Maribel Modrono, Herman Payne, DeAnn Petruschke, Emma Reed, Emily Ricca, Francis Veyette, Antonella Vichidomini, Toranika Washington 

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 

Director of Artistic Health: Alejandro Piris Niño

Company Physician: Kathleen Davenport MD 

Massage Therapist: Alexis Somoano LMT

Jeff Davis, Board Chair

Major funding for Miami City Ballet is provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ford 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. Performances and programming in Miami Beach provided by the generous support of the City of Miami Beach and the Cultural Arts Council. Support for Miami City Ballet in the Palm Beaches generously sponsored in part by the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Broward County funding provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida, as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Miami City Ballet is grateful to Baptist Health, the official healthcare partner for our company dancers.

Photo Credits: Cover Page:  Ariel Rose and Ellen Grocki in West Side Story Suite. Choreography by Jerome Robbins. Photo by © Gary James.