FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Cristina Planas Vanessa Fioravante Kreps DeMaria (305) 663-3543 [email protected] [email protected]

Roberto Santiago. P.R. Manager Miami City (305) 929-7000, ext. 1602 [email protected]

50 DANCERS! FOUR COMPANY PREMIERES! LIVE OPUS ONE ORCHESTRA!

MIAMI CITY BALLET’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON CONTINUES WITH PROGRAM II FEATURING THE COMPANY PREMIERE OF TWLYA THARP’S BAKER’S DOZEN ON STAGE WITH ’S LA SONNAMBULA AND WESTERN SYMPHONY.

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER, MIAMI ● JANUARY 7, 8 & 9 BROWARD CENTER, FORT LAUDERDALE ● JANUARY 14, 15 & 16 KRAVIS CENTER, WEST PALM BEACH ● JANUARY 28, 29 & 30

Miami, FL (Dec. 14, 2010) – MIAMI CITY BALLET continues its 25th Anniversary Season in South Florida with Program II and the Company Premiere of Twyla Tharp’s exhilarating Baker’s Dozen. Program II also features George Balanchine’s haunting La Sonnambula and buoyant Western Symphony. The Opus One Orchestra will play, under the baton of maestro Gary Sheldon, 42 to 56 musicians strong , supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge.

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Miami City Ballet/2

The Company Premiere of Baker’s Dozen showcases choreographer Twyla Tharp’s “prankster sense of humor” (The Times) as she flings a dozen dancers onto the stage, dressed in smoothly shaped, silky cream clothes by designer Santo Loquasto - hustling, spinning, shimmying, yet romantically inclined - to the irresistible stride piano of the immortal Willie “The Lion” Smith. Since its inception, the dance has held the public’s attention as a special Tharp classic, mixing nostalgic and contemporary emotions all together.

La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) is a haunting tale of exotic intrigue, a one-act Balanchine ballet, set during a mysterious masked ball. This dark romance centers around four main characters: the Baron, who is the host of the masked ball, his mistress – the Coquette, his wife – the Sleepwalker, and the poet, a guest at the ball who is romantically interested in the Coquette yet captivated by the beautiful and mysterious sleepwalker. Music and libretto is by Vittorio Rieti with romantic period costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge.

Western Symphony was created by George Balanchine out of his fascination for the American Wild West. One of Balanchine’s most joyous , Western Symphony is set to themes based on traditional western songs, among them such favorites as “Red River Valley” and “Good Night, Ladies.” The ballet merges Wild West Stereotypes with conventions, offering the audience a seemingly incompatible combination and a good deal of humor. Set in a frontier town in the Wild West with music compiled by Hershey Kay with Western-inspired costumes by the famed designer Karinska.

Audrey Love Charitable Foundation presents MIAMI CITY BALLET’S 25th Anniversary Season of dance. MIAMI CITY BALLET dedicates its 25th Anniversary Season to Founder Toby Lerner Ansin.

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Miami City Ballet/3 Performance Schedule and Information:

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) Friday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, January 8 at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, January 9 at 2 p.m.

Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Ave., Ft. Lauderdale) Friday, January 14 at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, January 15 at 2 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. Sunday, January 16 at 2 p.m.

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) Friday, January 28 at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, January 29 at 2 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. Sunday, January 30 at 1p.m.

Ticket prices start at just $19 and are on sale Monday-Friday 10am-5pm at MCB’s Box Office, 2200 Liberty Avenue, Miami Beach (22nd St. one block west of Collins Ave.) or by phone at (305) 929-7010 or toll-free (877) 929-7010. Select your own seat online 24/7 at www.miamicityballet.org. Student Tickets are available in advance, subject to availability with ID, at MCB’s Box Office. Group Discounts (10 or more) are available by calling (305) 929-7001 or toll-free (877) 929-7001.

Tickets are also on sale at:

Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. (305) 949-6722. Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. (954) 462-0222 or toll-free (877) 311-7469. Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., (561) 832 7469 or toll-free (800) 572-8471.

“Rush” Tickets (1/3 off ticket prices) are available at the theatre box office one and a half hours before performances, subject to availability in select locations.

For complete information regarding ticket prices and performances, visit www.miamicityballet.org or call (305) 929-7010 or toll-free (877) 929-7010.

# # # About Miami City Ballet Critically acclaimed by The New York Times, Miami City Ballet (MCB) was founded in 1985 by Artistic Director Edward Villella. The Company has 50 dancers, and a repertoire of 88 ballets which they perform in the four home counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Collier, and around the world. MCB maintains its headquarters in Miami Beach in a facility designed by renowned architectural firm Arquitectonica. The facility houses rehearsal studios and administrative offices as well as the Company’s school: Miami City Ballet School.

Visit us at www.miamicityballet.org . You can also “like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.