When Neapolitans, a normally reserved lot, start cheering, it's a sign that the performers are so adept at their art they own the program. Tuesday night, it wasn't just a sign; it was a billboard, with flashing neon letters, for the Miami City Ballet, which took title to "Coppelia" with style and grace.

The audience's instincts were right. The Arthur St. Leon dance sparkled from start to finish, its standards raised considerably with Jeanette Delgado and Renato Penteado in the star couple slots...