16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Gonzalo Garcia Appointed Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet
Miami City Ballet has named Gonzalo Garcia as its artistic director, the company announced on Monday, starting on Aug. 11.
Miami City Ballet, now celebrating its 40th anniversary season, has had only two artistic leaders: Its founding artistic director, Edward Villella, the celebrated New York City Ballet principal; and Lourdes Lopez, who resigned in February, two years before her contract expired.
Jeff Davis, chair of the Miami City Ballet board, said of Garcia in a statement: 'His international credentials are matched by his genuine devotion to mentoring dancers and engaging audiences. Gonzalo brings with him deep relationships with many of the world's most prominent choreographers' and 'is uniquely poised to steer the company and school toward their next level of excellence.'
Garcia, 45, a former principal dancer at New York City Ballet and at San Francisco Ballet, said that Miami City Ballet and its values 'speak very deeply to who I am and my life story — coming to the stage when I was 15 years old as an immigrant and becoming a principal dancer in major companies.'
Becoming an artistic director has always been a dream, Garcia said. 'To help the world of dance get bigger and broader and reach a bigger audience,' he said, adding, 'I have always wanted to to do that in my life — to stay connected even when I couldn't dance. I always wanted to shape new generations, find dance makers all around the world.'
He said he planned on preserving Miami City Ballet's legacy of performing works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, whose repertory he has danced for many years, especially at New York City Ballet. 'Those are the roots of the company, but it's not the only part,' he said, adding that Miami has a history of commissioning dances by major choreographers, including Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky and Justin Peck.
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