Miami City Ballet is grateful to Baptist Health, the official healthcare partner for our company dancers.
As we leap into our 38th season, it is a time for reflection and innovation. 2023/24 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of George Balanchine, who was not only the cornerstone of modern American ballet but also a teacher, mentor, and an inspiration to generations of dancers and choreographers. It is not an overreach to say that without Balanchine, there would be no Miami City Ballet.
To honor the legacy of Balanchine, and mark the privileged role we have in the stewardship of his work, we have curated this season to invite you on a journey through a century of ballet. Each mixed program is anchored by a cherished classic from the Balanchine canon, and builds upon that foundation through next generation masterworks and world premieres from today’s youngest voices in dance.
The season opens with Serenade, the first original ballet George Balanchine created in the United States in 1934. The program is joined by Twyla Tharp’s “fierce, driving, and relentless” In the Upper Room, and the world premiere of Sea Change from Bessie Award winning artist, Miami’s very own Jamar Roberts.
The winter season begins with everyone’s favorite festive tradition, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® spreading holiday joy with our distinct Miami twist. Quickly following is our second mixed program, Winter Mix, which showcases two world premieres from Miami natives Margarita Armas and Durante Verzola. Alongside these new works are masterpieces from their predecessors – Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH, and a reimagined production of Robbins’s and Balanchine’s Firebird – the only production of this version to exist outside of New York City Ballet.
The great works of Balanchine continue as a throughline for the season into the spring, in a triple bill that includes Balanchine’s 1957 tour de force Agon, Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream, and the final world premiere of the season, a new work from Brazilian-born choreographer Ricardo Amarante that is sure to “Delight” us all.
And finally, we bring you Swan Lake, lovingly reconstructed by Alexei Ratmansky, delivering a striking display of over fifty of our impeccable dancers breathing new life into an enchanting classic.
What’s more, all of these incredible works are performed to the glistening sounds of our live Miami City Ballet Orchestra.
We are so grateful to you, our audiences, for being here with us as we continue to honor our history and uplift new voices. The future of dance is nothing without you.
With love,
Serenade
Choreography by George Balanchine ©The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Staged by Miami City Ballet
Costume Design by Karinska
Lighting Design by John D. Hall
The first ballet George Balanchine made in America, in 1934, Serenade is one of his most famous and cherished works. Seventeen girls form and reform in kaleidoscopic patterns. A girl enters, late. A boy joins her. After she falls to the ground, another boy approaches her, guided by a “Dark Angel,” then leaves her behind, to be carried off to a kind of transfiguration.
Endlessly suggestive though essentially plotless, Serenade is impelled forward by Tchaikovsky’s rushing, deeply affecting score.
*Serenade in C Major for String Orchestra
Miami City Ballet premiere: October 30, 1991, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The performance of Serenade, 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.
Thank you to The Alfred and Rose Miniaci Foundation, Inc. for underwriting the Pointe shoes for the performances of Serenade at the Broward Center, Oct 28-29.
Sea Change
Choreography by Jamar Roberts
Music by John Adams
Guest Pianist Ciro Foderé
Costume Design by Jermaine Terry
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker
Projection Design by Camilla Tassi, featuring artwork by Rebecca Stenn
Programmer Michael Commendatore
Assistant Projection Designer Benji Arrigo
Associated Music Publishers, Inc., copyright owner.
In the Upper Room
Choreography by Twyla Tharp
Music by Philip Glass, In the Upper Room
Staged by Shelley Washington and Assisted by Kaitlyn Gilliland
Original Costume Design by Norma Kamali
Original Lighting Design by Jennifer Tipton
Lighting by Les Dickert
Tharp thinks of the two women who initiate In The Upper Room in terms of ceramic, Chinese temple guard dogs. From the “cells” of their side-by-side moves, with stretching, kicking and swinging legs, the dramatic, nearly religious and hypnotic on-rushing work pours forth. An inky yet celestially lighted void frames the advancing, receding, exploding and imploding activities of this many-layered work. The choreographer characterizes the running-shoe-wearing three couples as “stompers” and two pointe-shoe-wearing women as a “bomb squad.” All work according to their nicknames, stomping and “bombing” the space with their finesse, energy, and force. The cast of participants builds gradually and, once established, evolves partly through an altering of costumes and through elaborating their dancing and their connection to the other dancers. Tharp has described her movements here as “fierce, driving, and relentless,” aiming to make some furiously fast unison moves “burn the retina.”
The dancers play with and feed on Philip Glass’s music’s driving pulse, much of their locomotion can be seen as jogging, sometimes nonchalantly backwards. The “bomb squad” amplifies into the “ballet cadre” and their red costuming stands out with special fire in the black velvet surround. The music’s unwinding character climaxes in a finale that encapsulates the entire ballet up to that point, with each recapitulation colored and/or twisted this way or that from its original presentation. With the first-time appearance of the entire cast, the piece winds down, in the process re-dramatizing the magical void created as a scenic component by Tipton’s innovative lighting plot. The dancers variously disappear into the dense, rich blackness that stands like a shadowy infinity behind the more immediate space showered by shafts of warm light. Two “stomper” men bolt backward into the void by way of throwing forward a sharp punch as they “disappear.” For final punctuation the “china dogs” cue the ringing down of the curtain by pulling down their fists, as if sharply closing shut a window blind.
In the Upper Room World Premiere on August 28, 1986, Premiered by Twyla Tharp Dance. Choreography by Twyla Tharp ©Twyla Tharp.
Miami City Ballet premiere: January 12, 2007, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, FL
The Company Premiere of In The Upper Room was sponsored in part by Dr. Margaret & Mike Eidson, The State of Florida and Funding Arts Network.
Ciro Foderé (Montevideo, Uruguay) graced with a powerful musicality and fiery technique, has established himself as a well-sought soloist and chamber musician. Regularly invited as a concerto soloist with orchestras such as the New World Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Montevideo Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic of Extremadura, he has worked with conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, with whom he closely collaborated, David Stahl, Ignaz Solzhenitsyn, Eduardo Marturet, Eduardo Marturet, and as a chamber musician alongside violinist Joshua Bell, and soprano Renée Fleming.
A champion of virtuoso piano repertoire, the press has hailed his performances as "masterful, electric, by turns fiery and lyrical" (Post and
Courier), "edge-of-the-seat thrilling" featuring "technical sheen articulation, alert dynamic shading, and an imaginative approach"(Miami Herald).
Ciro Foderé's versatile playing has seen him appear with the Miami City Ballet since 2013, collaborating in studio rehearsals and performances throughout Florida. He also has appeared as a recitalist and chamber musician in Carnegie Hall, Teatro Santa Cecilia, Pittsburgh Concert Society, and in festivals Perugia, Londrina Music Festival, International Piano Series, Spoleto Festival, and Trujillo Music Festival. His performances have been broadcasted by America's National Public Radio (NPR) and North and South American TV.
Always enthusiastic about expanding his repertoire, Mr. Foderé has premiered works by numerous American composers. Composer Florencia Di Concilio dedicated to him a piano concerto, premiered with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. An active teacher, Ciro Foderé is a professor at the New World School of the Arts, the University of Florida in Miami, and has taught at the Miami Music Festival.
Ciro Foderé is the First Prize Winner of the XIV Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofieff International Competition. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Ciro came to the US while still a teenager, and studied with Enrique Graf and the late Earl Wild.
In the 2023-2024 season, Ciro Foderé's concert engagements include performances of Rachmaninoff second, Bach, Beethoven and Gershwin piano concerti, as well as solo and chamber music recitals in both North and South America.
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, Tricia Albertson
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
Board Liaison & Executive Assistant: Leslie Ann Reams
ARTISTIC
Artistic Operations & Strategic Initiatives: Kiera O'Rourke
Company Manager: Jessica Perez
Principal Rehearsal Director: Roma Sosenko
Rehearsal Directors: Joan Latham, Arnold Quintane, and Tricia Albertson
Company Pianist: Francisco Rennó
Music Director and Principal Conductor: Gary Sheldon
PRODUCTION AND WARDROBE
Director of Production and Lighting: John D. Hall
Production Stage Manager: Kelly Brown
Assistant Stage Manager: Lauren Wickett
Sound Engineer: Sean M. Deceunick
Head Carpenter: Brian Harris
Properties Master: Marc Stoudt
Head Electrician: Shane Cassidy
Assistant Electrician: Nicanor Smith
Projection Operator: Steve Covey
In Memorium: Richard Carter
Wardrobe Manager: Carrie Cabrera
Wardrobe Master: Ricardo "Pico" Asturias
School Wardrobe Mistress: Ibis Hernandez
Wardrobe Mistress: Jennifer Conrad
Shoe Inventory Assistant: Christie Scitturo
Seamstress/Seamster: Julia Villalobos, Alberto Fages
Makeup Artist: Ellen Dawson
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 Corporate Giving: Matt Williams
Associate Director of Development Services: 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
Director of Audience and Ticketing Services: Joshua Wickard
Marketing Services Manager: Ali Castro
Graphic Designer: Mina Rhee
Public Relations and Events Marketing Coordinator: Masha Enriquez
Digital Marketing Coordinator: Eden Cohen
Supervisor, Audience, and Ticketing Services: Katherine Baines
Associate Coordinator, Audience Services and Ticketing: Leyda Castro
Audience Services Representatives: Michael Tilis, Randy Fumero. Alison Loases, and Joas Cerutti
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: Monica Stephenson
Community Engagement Programs Manager: Tharesa Z. Perry
Community Dance Education Programs Manager: Norma Fuisting
Grants and Special Projects Coordinator: Kristina Jackson-Zabaleta
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
Director of Finance: Ainsworth Geddes
Payroll Manager: Marisa Rios-Lopez
Senior Accountant: Carlos Lopez
Senior Director of Human Resources: Lina Aguirre
Human Resources Assistant and Office Manager: Joy Stanfield
MIAMI CITY BALLET SCHOOL
Chair: Lourdes Lopez
School Artistic Director: Arantxa Ochoa
School Operations Manager: Jessica Bork
School Programs Manager: Amanda Rodriguez
School Administrative Assistant: Giana Ruffa
Housing Manager: Pebbles Rainford
Principal Faculty: Leslie Young Cheng, Alexander Iziliaev, Claudia Kuwana, Claudia Lezcano, Rosa Mercedes, Michaela Mann, Maribel Modrono, Fabian Morales, Kareen Pauld Camargo, Herman Payne, Renato Penteado , Granaina Rondena (La Merche), Rilanty Septiantari, Durante Verzola
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, PT, DPT
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, Board Chair
Charles Adelman
Jill E. Braufman
Veronica de Zayas
Margaret Eidson
Juan José Escalante
Robert Friezo
Kathy Guttman
Bruce Halpryn
Alina Hudak
Kristi Jernigan
Mamie Joeveer
Susan Kronick
Allen London
Lourdes Lopez
Manny Marquez
Lisa Kott Massirman
Eleanor Pao
Saul Sanders, Treasurer
Michael Schultz
John Vogelstein
Sara Minskoff Allan
Madeline Anbinder
Stephen Anbinder
Toby Lerner Ansin, Founder
Robert Chaskes
Lester Coney
Neil Devlin
Jim Freeze
Sheila O’Malley Fuchs
Dini Albert Golden
Janine Gordon
Francinelee Hand
Pearl Johnson
Elissa Kramer
Karen Krause
Rhoda Levitt*
Eve Rounds
Sara Solomon
Suzy Wahba
Gail Wasserman
Holly Wright
Diana S.C. Zeydel
* Trustees Emeriti
Major funding for Miami City Ballet 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. Programs and performances in Miami Beach are supported by the City of Miami Beach Department of Tourism and Culture, Cultural Arts Council, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners. 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. Made possible with support from the Broward County Cultural Division. 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: Hannah Fischer in Serenade. Choreographed by George Balanchine © George Balanchine Trust. Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.