Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida will open its 29th anniversary season with a U.S. premiere at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Oct. 4, giving local audiences a rare first look at a work originally created for Russia's Mariinsky Theatre.
The 5 p.m. performance, titled "Classical & Neoclassical Ballets," features five works spanning classical masterpieces and contemporary pieces. The centerpiece: Artistic Director Vladimir Issaev's Four Seasons, which has never been performed in the United States. Issaev, who founded the company in 1997, originally choreographed the piece for the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
The program also includes Vicente Nebrada's Pentimento, Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters, Lusian Hernandez's contemporary work Corpus and the company's first-ever staging of Marius Petipa's Raymonda Grand Pas, set to Alexander Glazunov's score. Corpus, an expressive contemporary piece first introduced during the pandemic, returns for a broader audience.
A free 30-minute pre-show discussion is open to all ticket holders inside the theater before curtain. VIP tickets include preferred seating in the first two rows and a drink voucher; VIP patrons must check in before the show starts.
The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center announced the season on its social media accounts on Aug. 3. Tickets are available through the center's website or Ticketmaster. Pricing was not listed on the center's website as of Aug. 4. Valet parking is available for most performances.
One note for latecomers: Arts Ballet Theatre enforces a strict late-seating policy. Anyone arriving after the performance begins will not be seated until intermission.
Dracula and The Nutcracker Anchor the Rest of the Fall Lineup
The company's full fall schedule at the Aventura center, located at 3385 NE 188th St., includes:
- Thursday, Oct. 22 — Dracula, a one-night-only South Florida premiere of a full-length ballet by Italian choreographer Roberto Forleo, timed for Halloween season
- Thursday, Dec. 10 — The Nutcracker Gala Event
- Dec. 11-13 — The Nutcracker
- Sunday, Dec. 13 — Sensory-Inclusive Performance of The Nutcracker, part of the company's inclusive programming that also includes free open rehearsals throughout the season
Other Concerts and Theater Shows Coming to the Aventura Center This Fall
- Saturday, Oct. 3 — Absolute Bands Live Featuring Bo Bice
- Oct. 9-11 — El Perro del Hortelano, presented by the City of Aventura and FUNDarte
- Oct. 16-17 — ICONS: Latin Rhythms, presented by the City of Aventura
- Oct. 24-25 — La Velada: An Alchemy of Past and Present
- Saturday, Nov. 7 — Timeless Harmonies: Celebrating 40 Years of Making Music by Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion
- Friday, Nov. 20 — Julia Scotti, Aventura Comedy Series
- Sunday, Nov. 22 — An Evening with Victoria Clark, Broadway Concert Series
