Miami City Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, October 18-20,
Ziff Ballet Opera House, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Casting for 2nd cast
Titania - Mary Kate Edwards, Oberon- Damian Zamorano, Hippolyta-Jordan Elizabeth Long,Helena-Nicole Stalker, Demetrius- Ethan Rodrigues,
Hermia- Ashley Knox, Lysander-Cameron Catazaro, Lead Butterfly- Suzette Logue,
Divertissement Pas de deux-, Taylor Naturkas, Brooks Landegger


. This aquatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s, beloved comedy is packed with mischief, magic and mismatched romances, all set beneath the tropical waters of South Florida, Mendelssohn’s, George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pam Tanowitz, Jessie Montgomery, Music by Felix Mendelssohn, Staged by Sandra Jennings, Scenery and Costume Designs by Michele Oka Doner, Lighting Design by John Hall, Projection Designs by Wendall K. Harrington, Dramaturgy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Costume Design Liaison Carole Divet Harting, Act I: Euro Co Costumes John Kristiansen New York Inc, Tricorne, Inc, Fairies, Titania, Helena, Hermia and Butterfly headpieces by Maria Morales, Act II: Halsey Onstage, Additional Costume Design by Travis Halsey, Rachel Coyle, Weiss Theatrical Solution, by Michael Amico, Paul Vershbow, , the Nancy Voss Collection, Major funding for Miami City Ballet provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Arison Arts Foundation, Miami-Dade County support provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, Support for Miami City Ballet in the Palm Beaches generously sponsored in part by the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County,


Corps, Divertissement, Helena and Hermia headpieces by Maria Morales
Scenic Credits:
Design Assistant by Carlos Rodriguez
Draperies furnished and constructed by I. Weiss Theatrical Solution
Scenic painting by Scenic Art Studios
Properties construction by Michael Amico
Projection programming by Paul Vershbow
University of Miami's Rosenstiel School, the Nancy Voss Collection
Act I: Near an estuary on a Midsummer Eve



The wait is almost over—A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens this week!

Miami City Ballet is about to splash into their 39th season in style with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opening this Friday, October 18. This aquatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy is packed with mischief, magic and mismatched romances, all set beneath the tropical waters of South Florida.

Get swept away by Balanchine’s iconic choreography, brought to life by over 50 dazzling dancers, stunning cinematic sets and glittering marine-inspired costumes. Accompanied by a live orchestra performing Mendelssohn’s enchanting score, this is the must-see event of the season.




Miami City Ballet’s 39th season is, in some ways, the start of our 40th anniversary celebration. As stewards of this incredible art form, we maintain our commitment to our dancers, the heart and soul of our company, as well as to you, our audiences, by curating an ambitious season of ballet.
It has been said that in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one can see Shakespeare’s words written in the choreography. With designs and projections inspired by the shapes and colors found in marine life, our reimagined production trades the lush forest landscape for the coastal waters of South Florida.
No season would be complete without George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, the family favorite and Florida-flavored holiday tradition. We hope you enjoy the festive magic this season brings, as this timeless classic continues to enchant and inspire.
In Winter Mix, Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht Ballet and La Valse bring classical elegance to the stage, while contemporary choreographer Pam Tanowitz premieres her second work for MCB, complete with music by Grammy award-winning artist Jessie Montgomery, a young, fresh female voice in today’s classical music scene.
Spring Mix offers a diverse range of choreographers and composers, showcasing our dedication to artistic variety. Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is a ballet for ten dancers; Playful, tongue-in-cheek, but not without its dark shadows. In complete contrast, José Limón’s Chaconne offers baroqueinspired choreography set to Bach for a solo male dancer. Jerome Robbins’ Glass Piecesintroduces a contemporary, urban feel, featuring Philip Glass’s minimalist score. Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux brings Balanchine brilliance to the mix–short, stunning, and supremely cherished, it’s a thrill ride for dancers and audience alike.
Finally, we bring you the World Premiere of Carmen. This is the first commissioned work for the company by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, emphasizing our commitment to showcasing contemporary choreographic voices. Commissioned music by young classical Colombian composer Juan Pablo Acosta builds upon Bizet’s original–and iconic–composition. This unique fusion of styles demonstrates our enthusiasm for exploring new artistic directions and supporting burgeoning composers.
This season, we are thrilled to be presenting work at The Moss Center, sharing some of our most delightful repertoire in an intimate environment. As a cornerstone of Miami’s cultural landscape, we take deep pride in continuing to enrich and inspire our community at every opportunity.
Through a diverse range of programming, from timeless classics to bold new commissions, we continue to push the boundaries of ballet, ensuring that Miami City Ballet remains a vital and innovative force in the world of dance. With each step, leap, and turn, we celebrate the infinite possibilities of movement—and the vibrant community that supports us every step of the way.


A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Felix Mendelssohn, Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, op. 21 and 61 (1826, 1842); Overtures to Athalie, op. 74 (1845), The Fair Melusine op. 32 (1833), The First Walpurgis Night, op. 60; Symphony No. 9 for strings; Overture to Son and Stranger, op. 89 (1829)
Staged by Sandra Jennings
Scenery and Costume Designs by Michele Oka Doner
Lighting Design by John Hall
Projection Designs by Wendall K. Harrington
Dramaturgy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
To celebrate MCB’s 30th anniversary season, the company mounted a new production of Balanchine’s sumptuous, wildly acclaimed new production of, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s timeless tale of love, illusion and reconciliation. With a fairytale cast, Felix Mendelssohn’s glorious music, twenty-four children and six vocalists, spectacular new sets and costumes, and Miami City Ballet’s breathtaking dancers, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a dazzling spectacle for families and audiences of all ages. Reimagined by two international artists with ties to Miami -- dramatic direction by Tarell Alvin McCraney and original sets and costumes by the celebrated artist Michele Oka Doner -- this new Dream takes its inspiration from South Florida’s surrounding waterways while always remaining true to Shakespeare, Mendelssohn and Balanchine.
All Shakespeare’s famous characters are here: Oberon and Titania, the feuding King and Queen of the Fairies; the two pairs of muddled lovers; poor confused Bottom, who is magically transformed into an ass (in our version, a manatee); Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, who comes through the forest accompanied by her hounds (in our version, seahorses) to marry Theseus, ruler of nearby Athens; and of course the mischievous sprite Puck, who presides over the confusions and resolutions of the fiendishly intricate plot – Puck, who in the play speaks the famous line that perhaps most clearly reflects Shakespeare’s view of the characters he has brought to life, “What fools these mortals be.”
With so much of Balanchine’s great reputation based on his abstract (or black-and-white) ballets – The Four Temperaments, Agon, Episodes, Symphony in Three Movements – it’s easy to forget that he was also a supreme storyteller (just think of his Nutcracker). Somehow he makes this ultra-complicated story crystal clear – you're never for a moment at a loss as he unfolds this infinitely touching, charming and hilarious drama. And then, following the long first act, he gives us an elegant divertissement, with Theseus’ court becoming the setting for a formal exhibition of classical dance (it opens with Mendelssohn’s famous “Wedding March”) and at the heart of which is one of Balanchine’s most subtle and persuasive pas de deux.
On a personal note: In the original production of A Midsummer Night’ Dream, the central role of Oberon was created on our Founding Artistic Director, Edward Villella, and during her twenty-four years at New York City Ballet, our current Artistic Director, Lourdes Lopez, danced Helena, the Act II pas de deux, and – early on – one of Hippolyta’s hounds!

Additional notes from Michele Oka Doner:
Opening image: Port of Miami underwater, 2014
Coral Castle, Act II, reimagined from a vintage photograph taken by Hans Hannau, early 1940s.
Located in South Dade County, Coral Castle has become a part of Miami's mythic landscape.
Costume designs and sets are based on the extraordinary archive of marine specimens at