Edward Villella, who turned 75 on Oct. 1, is slowly stepping away from his role as artisitic director of Miami City Ballet (he’ll retain the position until mid 2013). The transition comes at an especially rewarding time for the company, which this summer spent three weeks in Paris for performances that exceeded even the lofty standards of its longtime taskmaster.

The opening-night standing ovation was repeated each night, Villella said, culminating in a closing-night love-in that lasted for 10 minutes of applause and screams.