Miami City Ballet announces its 2009-2010 Season from October 2009 through April 2010

MCB Dancers in Symphony in Three Movements, Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo © Joe Gato

Miami City Ballet’Äôs (MCB) 2009-2010 season of dance in South Florida begins in October 2009 and runs through April 2010. The Company performs at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale; and at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

Program I features modern choreographer Paul Taylor’Äôs Company B. This work, last seen in South Florida almost a decade ago, is performed to carefree World War II hits by the Andrews Sisters (’ÄúRum and Coca Cola,’Äù Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,’Äù ’ÄúOh, Johnny, Oh!’Äù) contrasted with the melancholy realities of soldiers at war. Also on this program are George Balanchine’Äôs Allegro Brillante, Symphony in Three Movements and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux.

Program II will show for the first time on MCB’Äôs main stages, Twyla Tharp’Äôs ’ÄúThe Golden Section’Äù a thrilling segment from her famous work The Catherine Wheel. The piece is set to music by David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) and it is pure energy as thirteen dancers in gold costumes sail, soar, and tear through the air of the stage’Äôs glowing light. Also featured are Balanchine’Äôs Divertimento No. 15, Valse Fantaisie (1953), and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

Program III is Edward Villella’Äôs The Neighborhood Ballroom. Back for its first full encore since its 2003 premiere, this is an evening-length, action-packed, atmosphere-drenched tale of a poet, his muses, and the great ballroom music and dances of the early and mid-20th century. The four sections of this work showcase the seductive waltz, quick-stepping jazz (including the Charleston), the fox-trot where couples dance in the dark to big-band music, and the mambo, which ruled the dance floor in the 1950s.’Ä®’Ä®

Program IV will feature Dances at a Gathering, Jerome Robbins’Äô masterpiece. Ten dancers, live Chopin piano music, endlessly beautiful and original invention - a celebration of dance, dancers’Ķand life. Also on this program is Balanchine’Äôs breezily romantic Who Cares? set to music by Gershwin.

Once again, Miami City Ballet will present George Balanchine’Äôs The Nutcracker’Ñ¢. This delightful holiday season family event features a cast of more than 100 professional dancers and talented students from Miami City Ballet School. Performances will take place at The Arsht Center in Miami and at Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

New 2009-2010 full subscription renewal packages, to which Nutcracker tickets can be added, will be mailed in February and mini-series renewals will be mailed in March. Reservations for single tickets will be accepted at Miami City Ballet’Äôs Box Office starting in April.

Subscription packages and single-show tickets are on sale now. Four-program subscription series are priced from $635 to $69; two-program ’Äúmini-subscriptions’Äù are priced from $330 to $36. Single ticket prices for the repertory are $169 to $19. Nutcracker ticket prices are $65 to $19.75 (discounted to $58-$19 when ordered with a subscription package).

For more information about subscription packages, including group discounts, please call Miami City Ballet Box Office toll-free at (877) 929.7010.

Tickets can be purchased at the theaters' Box Offices and online at Miami City Ballet or Ticketmaster.