Miami City Ballets season to keep dancers, audience in mind

A Miami City Ballet season is about challenging and satisfying the dancers. And, of course, the audience.

Thats what Lourdes Lopez says about programming the 2014-15 season her third as artistic director and the second she has selected for the company.

I keep saying that its about works the dancers should be doing, she said. You must always keep in mind they have a limited time to do what they do. You want them to be able to leave their careers saying Wow, I did a lot.

Audience members, too, deserve a diverse and boundary-stretching season, she said. Theyre not going to love every work, Lopez said, but she aims to show them how fantastic dance is. There are no limits. It can be anything.

She must be doing something right. The number of tickets sold in 2013-14 jumped 17 percent over 2012-13.

The upcoming season features four company premieres, including a new work choreographed for the dancers by Justin Peck. Hes the 26-year-old choreographer and New York City Ballet dancer whose pas de deux Chutes and Ladders was performed this season.

Season opener

Opening the season in November at the Kravis Center is John Crankos full-evening story ballet Romeo and Juliet. It has been programmed only once before, in 2011.

As with most story ballets, the success of Romeo and Juliet will depend on the skills of the lead couple, said Steven Caras, a former New York City Ballet dancer who conducts pre-performance talks for the Kravis Centers dance shows.

A huge responsibility is placed on the principals, he said. The audience needs to fall in love with them immediately, or it becomes tedious. Miami City Ballet has the talent to fill the bill, if the casting is right, he said.

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Miami City Ballets season to keep dancers, audience in mind