Approaching its third decade as a leading ballet company and incubator of new choreography, Ballet Memphis takes the Main Stage at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m. Culture Shock Miami presents the company in a three-part program featuring works by North American choreographers.
Ballet Memphis was founded in 1986 by native Dorothy Gunther Pugh, now the company artistic director. The company has toured extensively throughout the United States and has been called a “national treasure” by the Ford Foundation.
“We’re proud to present some of our truly unique and truly American commissioned ballets from two of our most popular collections, the Memphis Project and the River Project,” said Gunther Pugh. “We’re committed to creating dance that reflects the world and represents our rich local and global heritage.”
The program offers three very different choreographic themes — Devil’s Fruit by Canadian-born Julia Adam, Party of the Year by American Matthew Neenan and In Dreams by Trey McIntyre.
Ballet Memphis tours with a cast of 10 and will participate in community and education- based activities for Miami-Dade public school students prior to the SMDCAC Saturday evening performance. On Friday, April 24, the company will offer a free performance at the SM-DCAC for students, as well as a free master class on April 25 at 10 a.m. open to advance ballet dancers.
Saturday night tickets to the performance are available for $5 to 13-22 year olds and an accompanying guest through CultureShockMiami.com. Full price tickets range from $45 to $25 and youth tickets are $15 for 12 year olds and under. Tickets are available online at SMDCAC.org or the theater box office.
For information, call 786-573-5300.
