Toe Shoes, Tutus And Tweets

Miami City Ballet Launches Social Media Talk-BackWhen Miami City Ballet (MCB) opens Program I of its Superhuman Season on Friday, October 23rd and performs Company B, a modern dance work set to the recordings of the 1940’s vocal group, The Andrews Sisters, it will recall a by-gone era. MCB will simultaneously take a leap forward into the digital age, when it presents its first-ever Social Media Talk-Back.’I’ve been doing pre-performance talks with the company for many years,’ said Edward Villella, founding artistic director and CEO of MCB. ‘This Social Media Talk-Back will offer a new way for the audience to connect with the performance and extend their ballet experience.’ The New York Times critically acclaimed MCB will feature a twist on the Talk-Back concept, which has become increasingly popular on Broadway, by adding a social media aspect. MCB’s Social Media Talk-Backs debut on Friday, October 23rd at the Adrienne Arsht Center, and will continue throughout the season. During intermission and after performances, patrons are invited to submit questions via Twitter, at www.twitter.com/@miamicityballet, for Villella and dancers. Responses will be posted in the days following performances on the MCB blog (https://www.miamicityballet.org/blog/). For patrons who haven’t caught the Twitter bug yet, questions may also be submitted on MCB’s Facebook page, or by e-mail (questions@miamicityballet.org). ‘While we support the spirit of the Talk-Back, we will be sure to remind patrons to turn their phones off after they tweet,’ says Villella. ‘We are thrilled to be able to connect and engage with our audience and fans on a more personal and emotional level. By being able to create a dialogue with them, it will enhance not only their ballet enjoyment and overall experience but ours as well,’ says Principal Dancer Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg. MCB’s Program I will open with four exciting dances including Symphony in Three Movements, a large-cast Balanchine chef-d’oeuvre containing some of the most dynamic and interesting patterns found in dance and set to a driving Stravinsky score, and Company B, a Paul Taylor masterwork performed to carefree World War II hits by the Andrews Sisters contrasted with the melancholy realities of soldiers at war. Program I will also show at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale on November 6-8 and at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on November 20-22# # #