November 2011, Volume 15, Number 5

Cultural Spotlight

World Ballet Stars Shine on MDC Stage

Dancer leaping in air
Lehman Theatre at MDC’s North Campus once again hosted the International Young Medalist Ballet performance.
Ballerina on pointe
Future stars of classical dance recently graced the stage at Miami Dade College.

Future stars of classical dance recently graced the stage at Miami Dade College during the renowned International Ballet Festival of Miami, now in its 16th year.

Lehman Theatre at MDC’s North Campus once again hosted the International Young Medalist Ballet performance. In collaboration with the annual student ballet competition Youth America Grand Prix, the popular event at MDC featured more than two dozen young medalists who had won ballet competitions around the world.

The state-of-the-art theater at North Campus’ newly renovated Complex of the Arts is “a beautiful place to experience the art of dance,” said Octavio Roca, who teaches philosophy at North Campus. “Performances of this caliber not only enrich artistic life in our community but also show the level of expertise attainable by our students, who themselves are on the verge of becoming professionals.”

Roca, a former dance critic for The Washington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle and author of acclaimed ballet books, including the recently published Cuban Ballet, said most dancers performed the piece that had earned them their medals.

The two-week festival brings together the world’s most prestigious national and international ballet companies, represented by their greatest stars in a series of performances throughout Miami-Dade County. The festival includes performances, workshops, a film series, an art exhibition and master classes.

“Ballet is such a wonderfully diverse art form,” Roca said. “And Miami Dade College is opening doors for the most talented young dancers.”

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