Miami City Ballet Announces New Dancers And Promotions

Miami City Ballet (MCB) welcomes nine new dancers to the company, bringing this season's roster to 53. Under the artistic leadership of Lourdes Lopez and with a growing repertoire of over 130 works that honor the masters while opening pathways for emerging choreographers, MCB is one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed ballet companies in the country.

Adding to MCB's diverse roster for the 2021/22 season is Steven Loch, formerly of Pacific Northwest Ballet, who joins as principal. Plus, eight dancers will join the corps de ballet, including Mary Kate Edwards and Juliet Hay, both recent graduates of Miami City Ballet School (MCB School), one of the country's most prestigious ballet academies. MCB School alumnus Andrei Chagas also returns after appearances on Broadway and in film.

Five more dancers from some of the world's top training grounds will also soon be seen rehearsing in MCB's sun-drenched studios: Lily Maulsby and Matilda Solis from School of American Ballet, and Andrew Larose and Ethan Rodrigues, both of whom trained at Canada's National Ballet School and the European School of Ballet in Amsterdam, and Sean Miller of Sarasota Cuban Ballet School.

MCB is thrilled to also announce the promotion of Damian Zamorano to the rank of soloist.

MCB'S 36th season of dance will be announced in mid-July. For all the latest news, sign up for MCB's newsletter at miamicityballet.org/signup.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Steven Loch (principal) enjoyed ten years at Pacific Northwest Ballet, performing leading roles in numerous works including George Balanchine's Symphony in C (1st Movement), Jewels (Emeralds), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, The Nutcracker, Agon, and Coppélia; William Forsythe's In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated, New Suite, and One Flat Thing, reproduced; Alexei Ratmansky's Pictures at an Exhibition; Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort, Sechs Tanze, and Forgotten Land; David Dawson's Empire Noir; Jerome Robbins' In the Night and The Concert; Crystal Pite's Emergence and Plot Point; Ulysses Dove's Red Angels; Yuri Possokhov's RakU (Monk); Benjamin Millepied's 3 Movements and Appassionata; Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo et Juliette (Tybalt) and Cendrillon; Twyla Tharp's Afternoon Ball, Brief Fling, and Waiting at the Station; and Kent Stowell's Carmina Burana, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Swan Lake.

From Denton, Texas, Steven trained at the Ballet Conservatory in Lewisville, TX, under the direction of Kelly Lannin. He also studied at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, WA, as well as summers with American Ballet Theatre, the School of American Ballet, and Canada's National Ballet School before joining the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2011 under the direction of Peter Boal.

Damian Zamorano (soloist), from Havana Cuba, trained at MCB School after earning a Toby Lerner Ansin Scholarship Award in 2012. In 2013, Damian joined the company's corps de ballet and was most recently featured in the 2020 digital commission of Places choreographed by Claudia Schreier.

His many other performances include George Balanchine's Episodes, La Valse, Serenade, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue; Justin Peck's Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes and Heatscape; Alexei Ratmansky's Symphonic Dances; Jerome Robbins' West Side Story Suite; and classical repertoire includes Don Quixote and Giselle. Prior to joining MCB, Damian danced with Compañia Nacional De Danza in Mexico City as an apprentice, was promoted to corps de ballet member at age eighteen and promoted to coryphée at nineteen.

Andrei Chagas (corps de ballet) makes his return to MCB after successful engagements on Broadway and film. The Rio de Janeiro native trained at Escola de Dança Alice Arja and MCB School. His professional career began at Miami City Ballet at the age of 17, where he first joined the company as a Student apprentice. A year later, he was promoted to corps de ballet, where he spent six seasons. In 2018, Andrei made his Broadway debut in the 2018 revival of Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel (11 Tony Nominations and 2 Tony Awards), where he played the role of Fairground Boy. Andrei will make his feature film debut in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, in theaters December 2021.

Mary Kate Edwards (corps de ballet) from Mobile, Alabama trained year-round under scholarship at both the School of American Ballet and MCB School, where she recently graduated from the Pre-Professional division. During her time at the school, she was provided opportunities to perform in some of the company's most acclaimed productions including George Balanchine's The Nutcracker as well as in the company premiere of Firebird by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

Juliet Hay (corps de ballet) trained at Dance Arts Cherry Hill and later at the Pennsylvania Ballet School with Arantxa Ochoa. In 2017, at the age of fourteen, she moved to Miami to train fulltime under scholarship in the Pre-Professional division. Upon graduating she was offered a contract to join MCB's corps de ballet.

Andrew Larose (corps de ballet) from London, Ontario was accepted into the professional program at Canada's National Ballet School, where he trained for four years. There he performed in such productions of La Sylphide and The Nutcracker, where he performed the lead role of Misha. He's attended summer exchange programs at New Zealand School of Dance and The Royal Danish Ballet. In 2020 he continued his training at the European School of Ballet in Amsterdam under the direction of Jean-Yves Esquerre.

Lily Maulsby (corps de ballet) is from Naples, Florida. Her early training began at Naples Academy of Ballet. After attending several summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, Lily was accepted into the winter term where she trained from 2017-2021. While at SAB she had opportunities to perform in the New York Choreographic Institute, SAB Workshop, and participate in the Student Choreographic Workshop as a choreographer and dancer. She is a recipient of the 2021 Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise. Lily attended MCB School's summer intensive in 2020.

Sean Miller (corps de ballet) is a French/American dancer born in Atlanta, Georgia. At age twelve he began taking his classical ballet studies seriously, leading him to move back to Paris to train at the Paris Opera Ballet School as well as the National Conservatory of Paris. He has also attended summer intensives at England's Royal Ballet School as well as Alvin Ailey's summer workshop. Wanting to expand and experience different styles of training and movement, Sean moved back to the United States to study at Sarasota Cuban Ballet School where he was given several opportunities to perform a wide range of classical and contemporary works. He also competed in the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), where he received the Grand Prix first place Pas de Deux award in Toronto 2020 as well as being a finalist and placing at other regional YAGP competitions.

Ethan Rodrigues (corps de ballet) hails from Guelph, Ontario. He trained with Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and Canada's National Ballet School, where he graduated in 2020. Upon graduation he continued his training at European School of Ballet's Trainee Program in Amsterdam under the direction of Jean-Yves Esquerre. During his training he has worked with choreographers Robert Binet, James Kudelka, and Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, among others.

Matilda Solis (corps de ballet) joins MCB after an apprenticeship with Carolina Ballet, where she trained with Debra Austin. She bagan her studies in her hometown at Ballet Austin at the age of ten. There she performed in The Nutcracker and was a member of the Tremaine Performance Team. Matilda attended summer intensive programs at Ballet Austin, Pacific Northwest Ballet and received scholarships to summer programs with MCB School and School of American Ballet. At fourteen she moved to Miami Beach to train fulltime at MCB School under scholarship and was featured in the end of year performances of George Balanchine's Tarantella and Pas de Dix. Matilda then moved to New York City to train full time at the School of American Ballet.

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ABOUT MIAMI CITY BALLET

Miami City Ballet has a diverse roster of 53 dancers and a repertoire of more than 130 works. As one of the most renowned ballet companies in the country, Miami City Ballet performs for nearly 125,000 patrons annually during its South Florida home season in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West

Palm Beach and tours to major cities domestically and internationally, including recent visits to New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Miami City Ballet School, the official school of Miami City Ballet, is one of the most respected ballet training academies in America. The School trains students, ages 3-18 year-round, and grants more than $650,000 in scholarships annually.

Miami City Ballet's Community Engagement programs, serving more than 12,000 people annually in schools and communities; our free programs use the power of dance to uplift, teach and bring joy.

Executive Director Tania Castroverde Moskalenko and Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez lead the company. Lopez was recently awarded the prestigious Dance Magazine Award in 2018 and was named one of "The Most Influential People in Dance Today." She is on the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees, the first artist to ever serve on its Board.

Miami City Ballet was founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella. It is headquartered in Miami Beach, FL, at the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, a facility designed by renowned architectural firm, Arquitectonica.

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The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has been a generous supporter of Miami City Ballet with over $11 million in cumulative giving since the company's founding. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit KF.org.

Major funding is also provided by the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide.

Miami-Dade County support is 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.

Performances and programming in Miami Beach is provided with the generous support of the City of Miami Beach and the Cultural Arts Council.

Support for Miami City Ballet in the Palm Beaches is generously sponsored in part by the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County.

Broward County funding is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida, as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.

The Company is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

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