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Miami City Ballet is among the largest ballet companies in the United States, with 40 dancers and a fiscal year 2004 budget of $10.2 million. The Company has four home counties in South Florida: Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, plus Collier (on Florida's west coast), where MCB is the resident company at the Naples Philharmonic Center. In addition to its Repertory Series and performances of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™(performed in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties), Miami City Ballet also performs The Nutcracker in Clearwater, FL. Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella was the first American-born male star of the New York City Ballet (1957-1975); his career established the male's role in classical dance in the U.S. Mr. Villella's vision and style for the Company is based on the techniques established by choreographer George Balanchine. In 1997, Mr. Villella received the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an artist by the United States, the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Clinton. Also in 1997, he was named a Kennedy Center Honoree and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. In 2003 Miami City Ballet premiered Mr. Villella's four act ballet, The Neighborhood Ballroom. |
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