Described by The New York Times as “an exceptional troupe, by Balanchine standards, anywhere in the world,” Miami City Ballet (MCB) is led by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez and is considered a leader in the field – nurturing new choreographic voices, creating innovative collaborations and opening new avenues of inclusivity within classical ballet.

Founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and Founding Artistic Director and ballet legend Edward Villella, MCB is universally admired as one of the world’s preeminent interpreters of the choreography of George Balanchine.  Its repertory of more than 100 ballets, including 12 world premieres, was built upon the Balanchine repertory, style, and technique and then expanded to include beloved classical works of importance and exciting new choreography by contemporary and ground-breaking artists.   MCB maintains annual seasons in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Broward, and Collier Counties, serving more than 132,000 patrons in South Florida through four diverse repertory programs; the treasured Christmas fairytale, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®; and an expansive national touring program.  MCB has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and its 2016 debut at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater was hailed by the national press as a resounding success.  The New York Times’ Alastair Macaulay wrote, “Of all the ballet troupes who have visited the Koch in recent years, none looks so truly and completely a company.”

Miami City Ballet School (MCB School), founded in 1993, is one of the largest dance training programs in the nation,   training dancers for careers with MCB and other professional companies throughout the world. MCB School’s expanded national and international audition tours attract more than 1,300 students each season, and MCB School’s scholarship program offers support to children from around the corner and across the globe, providing nearly $500,000 worth of scholarships each year. As one of the most diverse classical ballet companies in the nation, MCB serves as a gateway to the Americas for dancers from Central and South America, resulting in a robust international roster of both dancers and students.

MCB’s transformative Share the Dance: Community Outreach and Educational Programs reach deep into the community, touching nearly 23,000 young people, seniors, and other traditionally underserved community members annually through a wide array of programming. This expanded portfolio of programs introduces new and underserved audiences to the art form of classical ballet while building strong community relationships and engagement with the arts.