A Sweet Treat For The Entire Family: Miami City Ballet’s Holiday Production Of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker

2011 Performances:

Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami ● December 15-18

Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale ● December 21-24

A Nutcracker doll will come alive, a Sugar Plum Fairy will dance, snowflakes will fall and smiles from children of all ages will rain down as Miami City Ballet, Florida’s internationally-acclaimed company under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella, presents its enchanting holiday production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Miami City Ballet School students From Miami-Dade and Broward Counties to Perform With MCB’s Internationally-Acclaimed Dancers!

Based on the story The Nutcracker and The Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a captivating tale of a little girl’s Christmas Eve dream about a handsome prince, a mouse king, toy soldiers and dancers from faraway lands set to the beloved music of Tchaikovsky, brought to life by a cast of more than 100 dancers and children.

Nothing short of a Broadway spectacular, the production features glorious sets, lavish costumes like the ones worn by the Arabian and Chinese dancers, magical special effects, such as a Christmas tree that soars from twelve to thirty feet tall, and fanciful choreography that takes the spectator on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets. 

With its sumptuous décor and dazzling character dance numbers, Miami City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a must-see holiday extravaganza for everyone young and old: children, parents and grandparents! 

________________________________________________

Performance Schedule & Information:

● Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Ziff Ballet Opera House

1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

Thursday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 18 at 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

● Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Au-Rene Theater

201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

Wednesday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 22 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 23 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 24 at 1:00 p.m. 

________________________________________________

Tickets Available At:

● Miami City Ballet

2200 Liberty Ave., Miami Beach

(Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.)  

305-929-7010; toll-free: 877-929-7010

www.miamicityballet.org

● Adrienne Arsht Center

1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 

305-949-6722

www.arshtcenter.org

● Broward Center

201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale 

954-462-0222; toll-free: 1-877-311-7469

www.browardcenter.org

Tickets range in price from $20 to $68. 

________________________________________________

Miami City Ballet performs in the "Tri-County" South Florida area; in Broward County at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, in Miami-Dade County at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and in Palm Beach County at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Miami City Ballet is presented as the resident ballet company at the Naples Philharmonic Center in Naples, Fla. The company also tours extensively.

Welcome to Miami and the Beaches

Bienvenidos a Miami y Sus Playas

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Download the FREE iPhone App

Due To Overwhelming Demand, The Adrienne Arsht Center Extends Miami Run Of Cirque Éloize iD

Now celebrating its Fifth Anniversary Season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County proudly announces, due to an astounding reception by the South Florida community, the summer blockbuster Cirque Éloize iD will extend its stay in Miami by four weeks. The contemporary fusion of theatrical circus and urban dance will now run from July 26 to September 4 at the Adrienne Arsht Center's Ziff Ballet Opera House.

“Even prior to opening night, South Florida has already shown great excitement for Cirque Éloize iD,” said Executive Vice President Scott Shiller. “In efforts to please the public, we have decided to extend its run for four more weeks, a total of 32 performances, to satisfy the high demand.”

Tickets for the additional Cirque Éloize iD performances will be available to the public as of Friday, June 17. Tickets start at $25 and special VIP tickets, which invite iD fans to become part of the show, range from $75 to $85. A VIP ticket grants an interaction opportunity with members of the iD cast before and during the show. In the pre-performance interaction, VIP ticket holders will have their picture taken. As they watch the show from the best seats of the Ziff Ballet Opera House, VIPs will savor their five minutes of fame while their images become part of the show as they are projected on the stage.

Tickets may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling 305-949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

Hailed by the Montreal Gazette as “a thrilling piece of work, full of attitude, energy and invention,” iD was created by Jeannot Painchaud, founder and artistic director of Montreal’s acclaimed Cirque Éloize, and has sold out in Montreal and Toronto. The high-energy all-musical spectacle (there’s no spoken word), features an original electronic score composed by Jean-Phi Goncalves (from the indie band Beast) and Alex McMahon, which features a Spanish-language hip-hop number among other electropop, dance, and vocal tracks. The creative team also features hip-hop choreographer Mourad Merzouki and costumes by Linda Brunelle.

iD is the seventh original production from Cirque Éloize. Since it began in 1993, Cirque Éloize has become a world leader in contemporary circus arts, with almost 4,000 performances in more than 400 cities around the globe to its credit. The award-winning company has enjoyed rave reviews and sold-out engagements at the world’s most prestigious festivals and theatres including Edinburgh International Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, Théâtre du Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, Sadler’s Wells and the Barbican Theatre.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is located at 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, downtown Miami. For more information, please visit the Arsht Center's Cirque Éloize iD page or www.arshtcenter.org.

Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the venue is comprised of the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the black box Carnival Studio Theater, a restored Carnival Tower, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Studio, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Education Center and the outdoor Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. The Carnival Tower, an architectural icon and one of Miami’s oldest Art Deco buildings, houses the street-level Bombay Sapphire Lounge. Events impresario and restaurateur Barton G. Weiss brought his signature style to the center in 2009 with Prelude By Barton G, a full-service, upscale restaurant.

Welcome to Miami and the Beaches
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Keith Lockhart Leads 2011 Boston Pops Florida Tour - “A Tribute To Cole Porter”

Keith Lockhart leads the Boston Pops in a six-concert, five-city tour of Florida. The 2011 Boston Pops Florida Tour, entitled “A Tribute to Cole Porter,” will feature Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Jason Danieley in such timeless classics as "It’s De-lovely," "You’re the Top," "Anything Goes," "So in Love," and "In the Still of the Night"--just a few of the highlights of the Pops’ special tribute to Cole Porter, one of the most beloved and prolific contributors to the American Songbook.

Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops
(Photo by Stu Rosner) 

The Boston Pops will also perform a medley of George and Ira Gershwin favorites, including "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "The Man I Love," selections from Leonard Bernstein’s musical “On the Town,” including "Lonely Town" and "Times Square 1944," and Richard Rodgers’ "Carousel Waltz." 


 “I'm thrilled to bring the Boston Pops' Cole Porter Tribute to our audiences in Florida and to spotlight the extraordinary music of a true American icon,” said Keith Lockhart. “Responsible for so many of the songs we now consider classics, Cole Porter helped define and shape the American Songbook, as well as the American song writing tradition. It's an incredible honor for me to present this wonderful music as it was originally meant to be heard--with a full orchestra, the Boston Pops, playing his sophisticated melodies, and Broadway stars Kelli O'Hara and Jason Danieley singing his witty and stylish lyrics.”


The first segment of “A Tribute to Cole Porter,” will feature music by contemporaries of Cole Porter and music by artists he inspired. The Boston Pops will perform Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers, and Gershwin selections, as well as a medley of Irving Berlin songs including "Say It With Music" and "Blue Skies." Ms. O’Hara and Mr. Danieley join the orchestra during the program’s second half, which is devoted entirely to music by Mr. Porter. This set will alternate between solos and duets as Ms. O’Hara and Mr. Danieley showcase the full range of Mr. Porter’s immense songwriting gifts. Mr. Danieley will perform songs including "In the Still of the Night" and "Where Is the Life that Late I Led," while Ms. O’Hara will feature on "So in Love" and "Always True to You in My Fashion," before both Broadway singers join forces for "You’re the Top" and "Anything Goes."  “A Tribute to Cole Porter” promises to remind Florida audiences why Mr. Porter’s catchy melodies and urbane lyrics have come to embody the golden age of Broadway musicals and the prowess of the American songwriter. 


Keith Lockhart has worked with a wide array of artists from virtually every corner of the entertainment world. From Hollywood and Broadway stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Nathan Lane, Martin Short, Mandy Patinkin, and Jason Alexander to popular singers k.d. lang, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion, Elvis Costello, and Patti LaBelle, to jazz and American songbook legends Barbara Cook, Terence Blanchard, Natalie Cole, and Mel Tormé, to classical favorites Dawn Upshaw and Gil Shaham, Keith Lockhart has brought many of the great musicians and entertainers of our day to the Pops stage.


The show takes place March 19 at 8pm at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami (1300 Biscayne Boulevard).  For tickets and information see www.arshtcenter.org.


Welcome to Miami and the Beaches Magazine
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Presents 'Jazz Roots: Three Generations Of Divas'

Now celebrating its fifth anniversary season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Larry Rosen present "Jazz Roots: A Larry Rosen Jazz Series – Three Generations Of Divas" on March 18 at 8 pm in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Center.

Dianne Reeves

This concert brings onstage, together for the first time, three of today’s most celebrated jazz singers spanning three generations: Dianne Reeves, respected as the reigning queen of female jazz vocalists; honey-voiced songstress Jane Monheit, the multi-Grammy nominee who is bringing the golden age of jazz standards to a new generation; and introducing 16-year-old singing sensation Nikki Yanofsky, who recently rose to international stardom wowing audiences when she sang the theme song for the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Tickets range from $25-$130 and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling 305-949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

In the tradition of jazz icons such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan, this Jazz Roots program places the spotlight on three of the most talented contemporary vocalists on the jazz scene today.

“While each artist in her own right is a devoted keeper-of-the-flame of this beloved American music, each one also brings a fresh, dynamic approach, showing the evolution of this treasured genre,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center.

Dianne Reeves is the voice of this era and the most decorated jazz singer of recent years. The four-time Grammy winner is the only singer to win the vocal category for three consecutive recordings in any singing category. Her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings have garnered Reeves international acclaim on the jazz circuit and beyond.

A multiple Grammy Award nominee, jazz singer Jane Monheit has mastered the art of remaking the familiar into something fresh and innovative with a rare combination of wit, grace, and deep emotion. Since being chosen as a finalist in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute’s vocal competition, she has become one of the world’s premier vocal interpreters and all around musical talents. Her lifelong passion and the genre with which she identifies most are the jazz standards of the Great American Songbook.

Sixteen-year old Montreal-born singing sensation Nikki Yanofsky was seen by millions when she sang for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her single, "I Believe," which was the official song for the Olympics, immediately shot to number one on the Canadian charts. She is the youngest singer ever to appear on a Verve Records release, and at her tender age, is already a veteran of the jazz circuit, having toured with famed composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, performed with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and headlined the most prestigious international jazz festivals.

Heralded by Quincy Jones as “the most important new concert and educational jazz series in America!,” Jazz Roots has the unique distinction of being the only major jazz series in America that has sold-out every one of its concerts since inception.

See highlights and video for the Jazz Roots series at www.jazzroots.net.

Welcome to Miami and the Beaches Magazine
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter