The Miami City Ballet is kicking off its 2016-2017 season this Friday, October 21st at the Adrienne Arsht Center with Giselle. A 19th century story of an innocent peasant girl turned mad by her lover’s betrayal and his betrothal to a noblewoman. The ballet takes a ghoulish turn when she rises from the dead to save him from… death. Good timing for Halloween or what? If that’s not enough to pique your interest, here are six solid reasons you need to get yourself to a ballet this season.
- They are really, really good. In fact, the Miami City Ballet is one of the best companies in the country. Their Lincoln Center debut in New York City last year wowed everyone when they danced their reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The performance was greeted with “unanimous critical acclaim” and gave a newfound national appreciation for the company.
2. If you go to opening night, you can meet the dancers as they are hosting a kickoff celebration an hour and a half before curtain. And because this is Miami, there will be a DJ… and cocktails.
3. It’s not quite what you think it’s going to be. Sure, there are tutus and plenty of Ballenchine, but since the Miami City Ballet hired Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, programming has included ground-breaking shows that challenge the notion of what a ballet can be. They’ve done a totally new—and rather fun—ballet version of West Side Story that had dancers singing and in decidedly non-classical costumes. They’ve incorporated street art, such as the Shephard Fairey-painted set in Justin Peck’s Heatscape from 2013 that celebrated the Wynwood Walls.
4. It’s sexy. The company might prefer to focus on how on-point the dancing is, but trust us, it’s very sensual – just not in a vulgar way. Getting an eyeful of beautiful bodies both male and female moving in ways much more elegant than anything you find on Ocean Drive is a definite turn-on for those who’ve learned to appreciate the finer things.
5. Your date will be impressed. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been married for twenty years or if you’re on the all-important third date, in all likelihood, you’ll score big.
6. It’s special. Ballet performance schedules aren’t like baseball games and there aren’t hundreds of them a season. In fact, there are only three performances in each city per program. They are always on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. Then, the company gets the show on the road for weekend performances at the Broward Center and Palm Beach.
