MCB Insider | Miami City Ballet

Aldeir Monteiro is here to take over our Instagram feed!

Aldeir Monteiro is extremely busy as a Miami City Ballet School Scholarship Apprentice. Yet, between daily ballet classes, rehearsals and performances with BOTH the company and school, he is finding some time to snap shots for our Instagram feed this week. Aldeir will document his busy balancing-act between the company and school as MCB prepares for performances of Program I: Fire and Ice at the Kravis Center this weekend (Nov. 30-Dec.2).

Fun fact about Aldeir: Before he started to dance, he did artistic gymnastics.

Ratmansky Wrap-Up

“And in this century another choreographer,

Alexei Ratmansky, has arrived to revitalize ballet.”

—The New York Times

It was a rigorous but rewarding week at Miami City Ballet’s studios. The renowned choreographer from Russia Alexei Ratmansky visited the company to prepare his work Symphonic Dances for its return to the stage in Program III: The Masters. During his first visit to Miami last season, Ratmansky set out to create a new ballet — using the dancers as instruments that through various movements, formations, musical cues, and emotions would bring his artistic vision to life. After a three whirlwind weeks of artistic creation, Ratmansky gave us Symphonic Dances, which enjoyed a one-night only gala premiere at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami.

When Ratmansky returned this past week, his mission was entirely different. He was here to fine-tune and perfect his creation, shaping it into the masterpiece he envisioned. “This time, he is paying attention to the all of the smallest details,” said corps dancer Nathalia Arja who landed a leading role in the ballet. Principal Jeanette Delgado seconded Arja saying that our dancers are being “pushed out of their comfort-zones.” Ratmansky changed dancers’ roles, experimented with different casts, and persistently demanded more out of each unique dancer.

Principal Ballet Mistress Roma Sosenko and Ballet Mistress Joan Latham observed rehearsals and shared the following comments on their experience, “We love having Alexei back in Miami working on Symphonic Dances. He is so committed to the work and we love watching his quality of movement. He is so generous and giving and his coaching is as expansive as his heart.”

We are sure that our dancers’ hard work will pay off when the curtain rises on Symphonic Dances during Program III: The Masters, opening February 22 at Kravis Center, March 1 at Broward Center and March 8 at Adrienne Arsht Center.

Alexei Ratamansky’s Symphonic Dances is made possible in part by the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge.

This week’s Instagram photographer is…Nicole Mitchell!

As Miami City Ballet’s stage manager, Nicole Mitchell is a hard girl to track down. To find Nicole, one must venture deep into the theater’s core, behind the curtains, fancy lights and scenery, and into the elusive prompt corner. Here — in the area adjacent to the proscenium — is Nicole’s domain, where she cues the dancers and stagehands and coordinates all of the behind-the-scenes action. This week, Nicole will document the intricacies involved in producing a large scale performance when she takes over our Instagram feed during the company’s performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ in Naples.

Fun fact about Nicole: She is also an athlete! Nicole held the record at her high school for long-jump and triple-jump. Way to go, Nicole!

Christina Spigner guests on Instagram!

Company Apprentice Christina Spigner is eager to get behind the lens for our Instagram feed this week, as the in-demand choreographer from Russia, Alexei Ratmanksy, will be in our studios! This will be Christina’s first time working with the critically-acclaimed artist, as he prepares our dancers for their performance of Symphonic Dances in Program III. We can’t wait to see all of the action caught on camera!

Fun fact about Christina: Not only does Christina dance, but she also plays piano. When she was younger, she played a piano double in a small film!

Skyler Lubin Clicks Pics on Instragram

You probably recognize corps dancer Skyler Lubin from our 2012-2013 campaign images as the season’s cover girl, jumping in a full split with a perfect combination of grace and athleticism. This week, we will see what Skyler can pull off behind the camera as our guest photographer for Instagram!

Fun fact about Skyler: Although Skyler grew up in New Jersey, she also has roots in Miami. Skyler was actually born here in the Magic City, where both of her grandparents grew up as well. We are lucky to have her back!

Here is Skyler in action in front of the camera during our photo shoot for the 2012-2013 season campaign.

The Art of and Science of Pointe Shoes

Corps dancer Rebecca King caught up with Marie Johansson, manager of Freed of London’s New York store, to discuss a pointe shoe’s perfect fit. Each year, Marie visits Miami City Ballet’s studios for pointe shoe fittings, helping dancers select a shoe that matches their unique needs. In addition to performing expert pointe shoe fittings, Freed of London also sponsors Miami City Ballet School’s annual audition tour for its Summer Intensive Program. All of us at the ballet thank Freed for its generosity!

Discover the science behind the perfect fit in this video created by Rebecca King.