Dance

Armour Dance Theatre’s Nutcracker ballet is more than a holiday tradition. The cast of over 140 includes students from six Armour Dance Theatre locations, New World School of the Arts students in advanced roles, alongside world-class guest stars, ensuring high quality and diversity. Our goal is for all children in the audience to see performers who look like them. Over 7,000 public schoolchildren experience this production annually. Armour Dance Theatre launched the region’s first Sensory-Inclusive Nutcracker, becoming a leader in making the arts accessible to all children. The Nutcracker will be held at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater for field trip performances and an evening performance for the general public. Tickets are available NOW on LIVE NATION and at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater box office.

Explore musical heritage through contemporary performance with Miami-based dance company Zest Collective. Experience "Afro Blue", a dynamic tribute to 20th-century Black musicians blending jazz standards and historical depth, and dive into "The Fountain", a vibrant homage to the legacy of pioneering female opera singers and the spiritual richness of Negro Spirituals. Presented by Miami Light Project, Miami Theater Center and Culture Shock Miami, these triumphant works celebrate the enduring impact of influential musical figures, offering an unforgettable journey through history.

We continue our dedication as the preeminent interpreter of the Balanchine repertory by staging two of the legendary choreographer’s works in one bill. Taking his own famous quote “Ballet is woman” to heart, Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht Ballet, originally created for the opera Faust, sees two dozen vibrant women storm the stage in full display of their virtuosity. On the 20th anniversary of adding Balanchine’s La Valse to the company repertoire, more than 30 dancers again take on the romance and dark mystery of a disintegrating waltz set to a haunting Maurice Ravel score. The boundary-pushing Pam Tanowitz completes the trio of pieces with a world premiere work. Her signature intentional unpredictability, whimsical complexity, and natural drama draws from the rules of master creators while subtly redefining the tradition of dance.

This winter, the Land of Sweets lands squarely in Miami for a festive holiday spectacle that always delights. Journey once more with over 100 dancers into the fantastical world of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, replete with signature choreography set to the iconic Tchaikovsky score. With stunning stagecraft, magnificent costumes, and a spectacular live orchestra, get whisked away by the joy of the Sugarplum Fairy and the wonder of graceful snowflakes gracing the stages of sunny South Florida. With eye-popping scenic elements that expertly mix grandeur and warmth, the imagination, marvels, and spirit of childhood come alive right before your eyes. For an extra-special holiday experience the family is sure to treasure, become part of the merriment with pre-show festivities that set the stage for the most magical time of year.

Premiered as part of the company’s 30th anniversary, this inventive reimagining of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—his first original full-length story ballet created in America—transports the mystical woodland lovers of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece to the spellbinding underwater world of the Florida coast. With Michele Oka Doner’s transformative costumes and sets, the kingdom of magical fairies becomes a floating motif of coral and seagrass populated by manatees, seahorses, and more underwater life, evoking the heart of South Florida’s treasured marine ecosystems. Mendelssohn’s mesmerizing score sets the stage for mischief, merriment, and mismatched romances, embodied in equal measures of whimsy and dazzling prowess by a breathtaking company of dancers. Take a dip into the familiar story of feuding Titania and Oberon, a quartet of hapless romantics, and the fiendish Puck, retold in the setting of the port of Miami.

Afro Blue is Gentry Isaiah George’s latest installment from his series ‘Roots & Rhythms,’ designed to commemorate Black Musicians of the 20th century. Renditions of the Jazz standard Afro-Blue recorded by American Jazz Vocalist Abbey Lincoln and Cuban Percussionist Mongo Santamaria are the centerpieces for the new work. Harmonizing biography, social history, music, and performance, George’s Zest Collective dance troupe celebrates the beauty and triumph of musical pioneers whose songs rang out despite the dark history of oppression. Zest Collective founder Gentry George is a graduate from the Juilliard School and began dancing with Ailey II and later with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. A Level 1 YoungArts award recipient, featured on HBO's 'Masterclass,' he is also currently a professor at Miami Dade College’s New World School of the Arts. This piece was commissioned by Miami Light Project for the 2023 Here and Now. This performance is presented free to the public as part of the Rhythm Foundation and City of Miami Beach's Arts in the Parks series. The show will be approximately an hour long.

• The Nutcracker: Celebrate the holiday season with this magical classic, set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. Join us for a heartwarming and enchanting performance that brings to life a world of snowflakes, sugarplums, and magical dolls, perfect for audiences of all ages.

The Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler showcases South Florida’s most dynamic companies and choreographers on one stage. The highly anticipated program features a curated group of nine works from six companies. The evening of short pieces and excerpts launches the season of dance in South Florida, with one performance only on Saturday, October 5, at 8:00 pm, at Miami's New World School of the Arts Dance Theater. Don’t miss this powerful season preview in its fourteenth season in Miami— this year also celebrating the 80th birthday of International Dance luminary Dr. Daniel Lewis. The Sampler highlights the artistry, excitement and diversity of Florida’s cultural landscape in a spectacular showcase of dance, from ballet to contemporary, modern to flamenco. Featured companies include Arts Ballet Theatre, Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, Dance NOW! Miami, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, New World School of the Arts and Zest Collective.

Join us for an evening of new short-form work representing a broad cross section of the most exciting and diverse talent in Miami’s field of emerging performance artists. Don’t miss the latest from this year’s cohort: Arielle Francois, Junior Domingos, Lisa Kusanagi and Osmani Tellez, and Our Human Years!

Kick off the 24-25 season with the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida as we present a stunning array of classical and neo-classical ballets. The evening begins with the electrifying "Una Danza Para Ti" by Vicente Nebrada, set to the vibrant music of Venezuelan composers Teresa Carreño, Ramón Delgado Palacios and J. M. Suárez: three references of the Venezuelan piano tradition. This high-energy, technically demanding piece for five couples promises to captivate and thrill our audience. Following this, our talented male dancers will take center stage in Vladimir Issaev’s "Vuelo," performed to Anton Arensky’s beautiful "Nocturne." After its successful premiere last season during the Men Who Dance Festival, this piece is set to enchant audiences once again with its powerful choreography. We will also present Alberto Méndez’s contemporary ballet "Eros’ Game", formerly titled Suite Generis. The Pas de Trois features a female dancer with two male dancers in what Méndez says "is a ballet with no story, just suggestions.” Set to the timeless music of George Frideric Handel and Franz Joseph Haydn. This ballet combines classical music with modern dance to explore themes of passion and love. The program concludes with the beloved classical ballet "Paquita", featuring choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus. Known for its exquisite technique and breathtaking corps de ballet work, "Paquita" is a timeless favorite that promises to leave the audience spellbound. Join us for an unforgettable evening of dance!