Renan Cerdeiro and Emily Bromberg in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Photo by Alberto Oviedo) By Tara Mitton Catao The closing program of Miami City Ballet’s 30th anniversary season was a stunning new production of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — and what a sumptuous event it was. On Saturday night at the Kravis Center, there was a palpable sense of anticipation … [Read more...]
MCB brings strength, variety to Program II
Miami City Ballet dancers in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room. (Photo by Gene Schiavone) By Tara Mitton Catao This past weekend, Miami City Ballet closed its second program of the 30th anniversary season with well-attended performances at the Kravis Center. The strong and varied program was nicely balanced, flowing smoothly from one work to the next as well as highlighting … [Read more...]
MCB’s Balanchine, Tharp and Alston come off beautifully
By Tara Mitton Catao Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez’s vision for Miami City Ballet was apparent in the tasteful programming of Saturday’s performance at the Kravis Center, with the de rigueur Balanchine work leading off the evening followed by two company premieres. Lopez who has been “shopping” for new works that would flatter and challenge the company, has been successful. … [Read more...]
MCB’s ‘R&J’ sumptuous to look at, but light on the heart
By Tara Mitton Catao Starting its Kravis Center season off last weekend with an ambitious full-length production of John Cranko’s highly regarded Romeo and Juliet, Miami City Ballet continues to present a variety of repertory that not only pleases audiences but also encourages the artistic development of its dancers. In addition to presenting three different casts as Romeo … [Read more...]
MCB’s ‘Don Quixote’ falls a little short of satisfying
By Tara Mitton Catao Of all the full-length classical ballets, it is Don Quixote that continually delights audiences, and Miami City Ballet’s production was selected to be a crowd-pleaser as well as a natural fit for the largely Hispanic company. The popular ballet has all the ingredients that make it easy for audiences to enjoy. The lavish costumes and sets by Santo Loquasto, … [Read more...]
MCB’s dancers uneven in ‘triple threat’ at Kravis
By Tara Mitton Catao Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez opened Miami City Ballet’s Program III at the Kravis Center on Friday night and introduced two company premieres that two dance legends — George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins — created decades ago. Lopez, who danced as a soloist and principal with New York City Ballet under the tutelage of these trend-changing … [Read more...]
MCB opens first program in impeccable style
By Tara Mitton Catao Miami City Ballet’s Friday evening program began with George Balanchine’s Ballo Della Regina. Within just a few seconds, it was clear that this was a perfect opener to not only this evening’s program and the first of four programs to be presented at the Kravis, but also to the first season that is fully under the leadership and vision of Artistic Director … [Read more...]
MCB’s ‘Giselle’ ecstatic, classic
The Miami City Ballet’s performance of Giselle Sunday afternoon at the Kravis Center proved to be an ecstatic rendering of Adolphe Adam’s classic Romantic ballet. Tricia Albertson gave a lovely nuanced and technically sound performance as the young peasant girl betrayed by Albrecht, a cad of an aristo, danced by Renan Cerdeiro, just prior to his marriage to a noblewoman. … [Read more...]
MCB’s Program I electrifies at Kravis
Miami City Ballet opened its 26th season at the Kravis Center this weekend with a rousing performance of four diverse, contemporary works that ended with a standing ovation Friday night from a near-capacity crowd. The evening began with George Balanchine’s Square Dance. This high-energy, technically challenging ballet was perfectly danced: Jeanette Delgado was the … [Read more...]
MCB makes splendid showing in Kravis program
Twenty-five years can be like a lifetime for a ballet company. First there were the early struggles with fundraising, performing without an orchestra, then finding the corps de ballet, the soloists, the prima ballerinas and the male danseurs. Plus administrators, ballet teachers, accountants and yes, even doctors specializing in bone injuries. It’s exhausting, but the Miami … [Read more...]