Miami City Ballet Presents George Balanchine's THE NUTRACKER Live In The Park

Miami City Ballet will present George Balanchine's The Nutcracker in the Park, live before an audience in the outdoor splendor of Downtown Doral Park. The innovative multimedia production which uses animation, projection, video and live sequences, also takes COVID-19 precautions into careful consideration. It prioritizes the health and safety of audiences, dancers, students and staff while delivering all the magic and joy of the beloved holiday classic.

The production opens December 18th with a special free performance in salute of first responders and essential workers with thirteen general audience performances from December 19th through December 31st.

With indoor performances cancelled across the country, South Florida's warm weather provided the nationally renowned MCB the unique opportunity to reimagine Balanchine's cherished tale of winter wonderland in an outdoor setting to continue this holiday tradition for its communities - at a time when joy, comfort, healing, and inspiration through the arts are more vital than ever.

Lourdes Lopez, MCB Artistic Director, remarked that "George Balanchine's Nutcracker is an iconic, time-honored, deeply cherished ballet that depicts the essence of winter - of families coming together, of challenges and dreams, of progress and accomplishment - and the music that Tchaikovsky wrote captures it perfectly. People look forward to seeing it time and time again. This year, in our 35th anniversary season, it takes on additional meaning in the face of this unforgiving virus. We have adapted this incredible story for an outdoor setting, while working to meet the health and safety needs of our audience, dancers, students and everyone involved in the production. It has been a profound and powerful journey to witness business, medical and government sectors join forces with a ballet company to bring joy and healing to their citizens, to keep our dreams alive, to be entertained, to hum the melodies we all know, and most of all, to dance."

Guests will journey with Marie and her Prince through MCB's original, Miami-inspired production that The Miami Herald called "jaw dropping," "exceptional" and "a riot of colors," through a combination of live performances alongside animated and video sequences projected on a giant screen - all while safely seated in socially distanced pods.

"We are incredibly grateful for the generous partnership and support from the Codina Family, Downtown Doral, the City of Doral, and our healthcare partner Baptist Health South Florida for helping us bring these performances to the community," adds Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, MCB Executive Director. "The COVID-19 health crisis has acted as a catalyst to how we envision the future of ballet. As we shift into digital offerings and explore new ways to bring live performances to our communities and beyond, we realize that we have an incredible opportunity to expand this glorious art from, both artistically and in the way we share the beauty and inspiration of MCB with audiences near and far."

"The Codina family is honored to be a part of bringing this Holiday tradition to Downtown Doral," said Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, CEO of Codina Partners. "We have been supporters of Miami City Ballet, one of the Nation's most respected ballet companies for many years, and we feel blessed to have this opportunity to partner with their visionary leader, Lourdes Lopez, on giving our community the much needed gift of joy at the end of a challenging year."

"The City of Doral is proud to host the Miami City Ballet for an unforgettable event series that families from all of South Florida can safely enjoy," said Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez. "We look forward to celebrating the holidays in Downtown Doral Park and kicking off what I hope will be a fruitful partnership to continue bringing world-class art and culture to Doral, which will soon be home to a state-of-the-art Cultural Center."

The health and safety of its audiences, dancers and staff is of paramount importance to MCB. Performances are presented in the park, in open air, with 153 socially distanced pods. Pods are sections of lawn that accommodate a maximum of four people and the wearing of masks by all attendees is mandatory. In addition, dancers, artistic staff and production crew will receive Covid-19 testing on a regular basis, as recommended by our healthcare partners and provided by Baptist Health South Florida.

"Baptist Health prides itself on partnering with community organizations that enrich our community like Miami City Ballet," said Nancy Batista-Rodriguez, CEO for Baptist Outpatient Services. "Especially during these difficult times, uplifting the community through the arts is incredibly valuable. We are proud to support that effort by ensuring this event is done in a safe and healthy way through regular COVID-19 testing to performers and production staff. This is another great example of how our commitment to care and health extends well beyond our medical facilities."

For Tickets:

Opening performance on December 18th for essential workers is free, but tickets are required due to limited capacity. To claim free tickets, sign up to receive an email to be notified when tickets will be released. Limited to one pod per household with qualifying professional identification as an essential, front-line worker.

Tickets for the general public go on sale Monday, October 26 at 1:00pm at miamicityballet.org or by calling the Miami City Ballet Customer Relations at 305.929.7010, Monday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.

All tickets are sold as pods and cost $120-$285, depending on section and date. Each socially distanced pod is a section of lawn that holds a maximum of 4 people. Guest may select a Chair pod or a Blanket pod. In chair sections, chairs will be provided. In blanket sections, guests must bring their own blankets to sit on.

All tickets include free parking.

Downtown Doral Park is located at 8395 NW 53rd Street, Doral, Florida 33166, conveniently located in the heart of Miami-Dade and within easy access to the Dolphin and Palmetto Expressways and Florida's Turnpike.

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker in the Park Schedule
Gates open one hour prior to performance time

* Friday, December 18: 7:30pm
Exclusive Performance for first responders and essential workers only (free but ticketed performance)

General Public Performances:
Saturday, December 19: 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, December 20: 4pm & 8pm
Tuesday, December 22: 7:30pm
Wednesday, December 23: 7:30pm
Thursday, December 24: 3:30pm
Saturday, December 26: 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, December 27: 4pm & 8pm
Thursday, December 31: 4pm

** Rain Date: Tuesday, December 29,7:30pm

ABOUT MIAMI CITY BALLET

Miami City Ballet, celebrating its 35th anniversary season, has a diverse roster of 50 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.

ABOUT THE CODINA FAMILY AND DOWNTOWN DORAL

Downtown Doral is Miami's premier town center developed by Armando Codina and his daughter Ana-Marie Codina Barlick of Codina Partners. Downtown Doral is a vibrant community of culture and commerce, located at the heart of access to almost everywhere. Neighborhoods, offices, homes, an award-winning school, restaurants and shops that offer a new quality of life-totally walkable, connected, artfully designed, green and gracious. The 250-acre mixed-use development features The Shops at Downtown Doral- 70 trendy shops and restaurants; The Offices at Downtown Doral- a bustling business district with almost 1 million square feet of Class-A office space; over 5,000 luxurious residential units including 5350 Park condo tower, 5250 Park rental tower and Canarias in The Residences at Downtown Doral; Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School- a top-rated bilingual charter elementary school; Downtown Doral Charter Upper School; Doral Government Center- a LEED- certified city hall; and public green spaces adorned with world-class art pieces. Learn more at www.downtowndoral.com or follow @DowntownDoral on Facebook and Twitter and @DowntownDoralLife on Instagram. To learn more about Codina Partners, visit www.codina.com.

Miami City Ballet presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker in the Park is made possible through a partnership between the Codina Family, Downtown Doral, the City of Doral and healthcare sponsor Baptist Health South Florida.

Baptist Health South Florida is serving as the lead sponsor of the free Opening Night performance on December 18th for Essential Workers. Additional sponsors include The Kirk Foundation and Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

Major funding for Miami City Ballet is provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a national foundation with strong local roots, investing in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. The Foundation's goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which they believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

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 are 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 as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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