The Miami City Ballet (MCB) expects to welcome in-person audiences back to its three home performance stages in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties this fall as it cautiously, but confidently announces its 2021-22 “Sunshine in Motion” dance season.
The anticipated return of live shows at the Arsht, Broward and Kravis centers is highlighted by what’s likely to be one of the most talked-about productions of the season – the North American premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s spellbinding “Swan Lake.”
Season subscriptions start at $84 and went on sale July 14.
“We cannot wait to greet our audiences with a warm, sunshine-filled welcome back to our home theaters,” said Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, entering her 10th year as the troupe’s leader. “It is so exciting to be back on stage, returning to the thrill of live, in-theater performances and to once again feel the joy of performing for all of you, our most cherished Miami City Ballet community.”
The coronavirus pandemic turned the 2020-21 schedule – which would have been MCB’s 35th anniversary tenure – into “a love letter to the community,” said public relations director Amber Dorsky, with presentations of digital works, online productions and an outdoor performance of “The Nutcracker” last December at a park in Doral.
“Over the past 15 months, we’ve faced challenges,” Lopez said. “But as we embark on our 36th anniversary and I step into my 10th season, we are thrilled to present a schedule that is filled with stories of childhood dreams and fantasy, of transcendent love, hope and courage, of distant places and times and of complete human forgiveness.”
The company promises not to let down its COVID guard as audiences come back to their vacated seats. “The health and safety of our patrons is a top priority,” she said. “Therefore, MCB has implemented a new ‘flexibility guarantee.’ Subscribers can exchange tickets free of cost, and rest assured that should there be a need to cancel a subscription during the season, MCB guarantees subscribers the ability to credit a purchase towards any future Miami City Ballet performance, donate tickets or receive a refund for the balance of unused tickets.”
Miami City Ballet dancers are shown in a scene from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which opens MCB’s 2021-22 season Oct. 14.
(Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
MCB will use the internet one last time to open its season on Oct. 14 with an online premiere of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by George Balanchine. Then, live performance will be back in December with George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” and three invigorating ballets in the New Year: Ratmansky’s “Swan Lake,” the Balanchine masterpiece “Jewels,” and a mixed-rep bill headlined by the return of Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son.” The show also features two company premieres: William Forsythe’s delectably fun “Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux” and Christopher Wheeldon’s intimate “After the Rain Pas de Deux.”
Completing the season is an innovative ballet-meets-technology world premiere by rising choreographic star Claudia Schreier and pioneering filmmaker Adam Barish. This marks MCB’s second commission for Schreier after 2020’s critically acclaimed “Places.”
“Our South Florida home gave MCB many opportunities to stay connected to our communities over the past year, and digital offerings opened new pathways for us to share our distinctive style with a wider audience,” said Executive Director Tania Castroverde Moskalenko.
“But nothing is akin to performing in our theaters,” she added. “The support and generosity of our audiences, donors, and board of trustees, coupled with deepened partnerships with our local civic and business leaders, gave us the power to continue and even broadened our ability to bring the transformative power of dance to our communities.”
The schedule for the coming season includes:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Balanchine / Mendelssohn), opening Oct. 14; available through Oct. 31. From the comfort of home, enjoy the digital world premiere of MCB’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” reimagined in a dreamy, underwater seascape with sets and costumes by environmental artist Michele Oka Doner.
MCB dancers are shown in George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker,” slated for a holiday performance at the Arsht, Broward and Kravis centers. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (Balanchine / Tchaikovsky). At the Broward Center Dec. 10-12; Arsht Center Dec. 16-26 and Kravis Center Dec. 29-30.
Swan Lake (Ratmansky / Tchaikovsky). At the Arsht Center Feb. 11-13, 2022; Kravis Center Feb. 19-20 and Broward Center Feb. 26-17. For this presentation, Ratmansky dug deep into the history of the fabled ballet, reconstructing much of the original choreography through extensive research and notations dating back to the 1895 Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov production.
Katia Carranzain and Renato Penteado perform in “Rubies” from “Jewels,” to be produced early in 2022 by the Miami City Ballet.
(Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
