In Dance, That's Classic

Miami continues to expand its repertoire of dance offerings, which in recent years have included experimental, hip-hop, mixed-ability, modern, and various forms of contemporary. But one constant has remained: the dance company behind Pedro Pablo Peña, the Cuban Classical Ballet. The term “classical,” as defined by this troupe, doesn’t even...

By Anne Tschida

June 12, 2014

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Miami continues to expand its repertoire of dance offerings, which in recent years have included experimental, hip-hop, mixed-ability, modern, and various forms of contemporary. But one constant has remained: the dance company behind Pedro Pablo Peña, the Cuban Classical Ballet. The term “classical,” as defined by this troupe, doesn’t even venture into the mid-20th Century; this group is firmly rooted in the ballet tradition of early Russia, the country that made ballet its own by the end of the 1800s and exported it to Cuba. Now exiles in the United States, Peña and many of his dancers — both guest and permanent — have been professionally and meticulously trained on the island and continue the tradition here in Miami. This Sunday they’ll present their latest in the steadfast dedication Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, which features classics such as Scheherezade, The Dying Swan, and Firebird, all famous from the heyday of the Ballets Russes, from 1909 to 1920. For this grand gala at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St., Miami), the principal dancers are Cuban prima ballerina Lorena Feijoo and Brazilian Vitor Luis, both dancers with the San Francisco Ballet. They don’t mess around; this is the real classical deal.
Sun., June 15, 5 p.m., 2014

Anne Tschida

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