End-of-Year Student Workshop Performances
Friday, June 2 – Sunday, June 4, 2023
To celebrate the culmination of our 22/23 school year, we are excited to announce our annual End-of -Year Student Workshop Performances for Miami City Ballet School Students!
Miami City Ballet School is pleased to welcome our families and friends to support our students from level I and up as they demonstrate the technique and artistry they have gained throughout the year.
Tickets on sale now!
Ticket Price: $35.00
Friday, June 2nd, 2023
7:00pm – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, June 3rd, 2023
2:00pm – BUY TICKETS
7:00pm – BUY TICKETS
Sunday, June 4th, 2023
2:00pm – BUY TICKETS
All performances are held in-person in our Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Theater located at:
MCB Studios
2200 Liberty Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Important: Please make sure you purchase your tickets ahead of the performance only cash sales are available at the venue. Limited seats are available for this event please make sure you buy your tickets prior to your performance.
For additional ticket details please contact the Box Office at (305) 929-7010 or
email CustomerRelations@miamicityballet.org.
The Box Office phone hours from May 31st June 3rd are 12pm to 5pm. The box office is closed on Sunday, June 4th. Tickets are available to purchase online when the box office is closed.
The 22/23 End-of-Year Student Workshop performances will highlight the following works danced by our Student & Pre-Professional Division.
Program Details Below:
“Très Jolie”
Choreography by Durante Verzola
Music: Tres Jolie
Composer: Émile Waldteufel
New Premiere – June 2023
This new original work was choreographed by Durante Verzola, MCB School Faculty and features all of our students from Level I and up. The creation of this work was inspired by the progression of balletic training at Miami City Ballet School, with the goal to highlight each level’s hard work and dedication during the school year.
“Many hours and years of hard work, drive, and commitment to one’s craft go into becoming a professional dancer, and I want to show MCB School’s dedication to educating dancers and helping them become well rounded artists. The music by Waldteufel is a large scale, grand waltz that fills the dancers with life and joy. I want [to capture that] for the love of dance and self-expression to shine through.”
– Durante Verzola, Choreographer & MCB School Faculty
“The Four Temperaments”
Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Music: Theme with Four Variations [According to the Four Temperaments], for string orchestra and piano (1940) Commissioned by George Balanchine
Composer: Paul Hindemith
Premiered in 1946
Subtitled, “A Dance Ballet without Plot”, the Four Temperaments is based on the ancient Greek notion that humans are made up of four different psychological and physical humors: melancholic, sanguinic, phlegmatic, and choleric.
“Balanchine choreographed The Four Temperaments for the opening program of Ballet Society, the forerunner of New York City Ballet. It is one of his earliest experimental works, fusing classical steps with a lean and angular style. The ballet is inspired by the medieval belief that human beings are made up of four different humors that determine a person’s temperament. Each temperament was associated with one of the four classical elements (earth, air, water, and fire), which in turn were the basis of the four humors (black bile, blood, phlegm, and bile) that composed the body.
Hindemith’s music was commissioned by Balanchine, an accomplished pianist who wanted a short work he could play at home with friends during his evening musicales. It was completed in 1940 and had its first public performance at a 1944 concert with Lukas Foss as the pianist. Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), a key representative of the neo-classical school, is considered one of the greatest German composers of this century. He fled the Nazis (who banned his music) and was a professor of music at Yale from 1940-1953. A conductor, violinist, violist, pianist, and theorist, he wrote several books on music theory.” All content © 1987-2020 by The George Balanchine Trust
“Ballet de Cour”
Choreography by Durante Verzola
Music: Variations on “Là ci darem la mano”
Composer: Frédéric Chopin, on a theme by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from his opera Don Giovanni
Premiered in XXXX
Dancers Involved: Pre-Professional Division
“Ballet de Cour was first presented by Joffrey Ballet’s Second Company as part of their Winning Works Choreographic Competition. First and foremost, my choreography is always inspired and informed by music. I’m typically drawn to classical music, which I feel is so rich and nuanced that it opens up so many possibilities for dance….The personality of the music, as well as the personalities of the dancers, inspire me to create movement. Through the steps I give the dancers, I try to give them a vehicle to present their innate movement qualities and technical strengths, while at the same time challenging their artistry, athleticism, and technique.
Chopin’s music, which are variations on a theme by Mozart from the opera Don Giovanni, spans across many different moods, and I wanted to capture the essence of these moods and dynamics. I chose the title, Ballet de Cour, as I was very inspired by the beginnings of ballet in the French and Italian courts. I wanted to present a ballet with this flavor, in a way that showcased an American way of moving and responding to music in today’s day and age.”
– Durante Verzola, Choreographer & MCB School Faculty
“We are Infinite”
Choreography by Margarita Armas
Music: “Intro”, “Wait”, “Raconte-Moi Une Histoire”, “My Tears are Becoming a Sea”, “Outro”
Artist: M83 (Alternative Electronic band)
New Premiere – June 2023
Dancers Involved: Student Division & Pre-Professional Division
The title of the piece “We are Infinite” is a quote said by the main character from a book called, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A teacher online beautifully describes what the character is feeling when he says “We are infinite”. He means that he and his friends are very much alive. He feels that they have endless power. It is about feeling young and unstoppable. At that moment, he feels like everything is attainable. It is a very positive and invigorating feeling to have.”- Jazz
The meaning behind “We are Infinite” is why I wanted to name this piece after the quote. It’s a feeling I hope all young students and young professionals can hold on to as they find themselves through this art form.
“We are Infinite” is a sneaker/barefoot piece. The order of the songs of this ballet inspired me to choreograph on a school like Miami City Ballet School specifically. The energy and passion we hear in music reminded me of myself in the pre-professional division as well as the memories of listening to M83 at that age. I wanted to dedicate this piece to the pre-professional and Student division because I think it’s a perfect collaboration to let the dancers move in a way that is so freeing and passionate, as well as telling our story of starting this journey as a young dancer and growing into professionals. It is also a big reminder that once we grow up we aren’t that far from the younger dancers coming into the dance world. We should always remember that there is that young little dancer in us as we grow into our professional careers and to constantly inspire our future artists and inner child.
– Margarita Armas, Choreographer