Lourdes Lopez on Her Tenure at Miami City Ballet and the Future of the Arts in Miami

In the grueling world of professional dance, performers tend to burn bright and retire young, often with most of their lives still ahead of them. In the recent past, they faced limited career options — typically, they taught or opened their own studios. But when Lourdes Lopez retired from a storied dance career in 1997 after more than two decades with New York City Ballet, she modeled a new way forward.

Now, Lopez is retiring again, this time after more than a decade spent molding dance productions and careers as artistic director of Miami City Ballet. She's reflecting on a life shaped by motion and mentorship, and a deep connection to the art form she loves.

Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1958 and raised in Miami, Lopez began taking ballet lessons at age five. By eleven, she'd earned a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. At sixteen, she joined the company's corps de ballet and performed many of legendary choreographer George Balanchine's great roles as a soloist and principal dancer before retiring at the age of 39.

"Dance is the most perfect art form," Lopez tells New Times. "It forces your soul, your body, and your mind to come together. To be an instrument. To create." It's a conviction she's carried since she first stepped into a ballet studio, and one she's passed along to the many dancers she's mentored over the years.

When she became artistic director of Miami City Ballet in 2012, she recognized a foundation already in place. "The bones were there," she says. Trust would be essential to carry it forward. "What's so great is that they trusted me when I walked in." From the start, she invited collaboration: "If you truly want to go to the next level, help me figure this out." Over the years, this approach fostered a sense of collective responsibility. The company expanded its repertoire, deepened its training, and earned increasing recognition beyond Miami, all while remaining anchored in the principles that first drew her to its stage.
Her leadership has been shaped by the values instilled in her by Balanchine. "Whether you're teaching class, rehearsing, or programming, you need to be the best that you can be because there is a responsibility you hold for the dancers, and for the people who have come to see you," she says. She recalls her mentor's words before a performance of Stars and Stripes: "You don't have to be great, but you have to be good."

For Lopez, excellence is not perfection — it is a daily practice, a way of honoring the art form and those who dedicate their lives to it.

Her impact is most evident in the dancers she's nurtured along the way. Cameron Catazaro, now a principal soloist with Miami City Ballet, remembers Lopez as both demanding and deeply perceptive. "Lourdes pushed me to new heights that I never thought I'd be capable of reaching," he says. "More importantly, Lourdes understood what it meant to be an artist. She understood there is more to the art form than just pretty lines and perfect technique. She honed in on what made me an artist and gave me opportunities to nurture that expression."

As she prepares to leave Miami City Ballet, Lopez also reflects on the future of the arts in Miami, a city she describes as vibrant, fast-moving, and full of challenges for its cultural life. She highlights the absence of major endowments, the city's transience, and the need for greater collaboration among institutions. Always thinking ahead, she continues to question how the arts can sustain themselves in Miami, even as she steps away from formal leadership.

Looking back on her time with the company, Lopez reflects not on endings but continuities. "What I would hope is that they're able to keep that excellent level of dancing, programming, and stature within the dance world," she says. "Miami City Ballet right now is nationally recognized and globally known." Even as her role changes, her attention stays with the dancers and the art. If dance teaches anything, it is that movement continues — even when one figure leaves the stage.