In our April issue, we spoke with Gonzalo Garcia, the new artistic director of Miami City Ballet (MCB), from the midpoint of his first adopted season—which so happens to mark the esteemed company’s 40th anniversary. In the magazine, Garcia discusses his introduction to dance, shifting audience expectations in ballet performance, the challenges of funding cuts in Florida’s cash-strapped culture scene, and more.
In this exclusive Web Extra, Garcia shares his thoughts on the season’s final three productions in Palm Beach and Broward counties: An encore run of MCB’s refreshed Carmen, which premiered last season; “Your Perfect Golden Hour,” an eclectic mix of ballets from Amy Hall Garner, José Limón, and Alonzo King; and “Vamos! To the Beach,” a pop-centered program of ballets set to music by The Beach Boys, George Gershwin, and The Andrews Sisters.
On Carmen, running April 4-6 at Kravis Center: What’s unique about this Carmen is [choreographer] Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. She’s Latin, she’s European—she’s all these mixes. She has a point of view. She doesn’t finish the same way … she has a different ending, and the way she sees Carmen as a leader and even as a principal dancer is very specific. It’s very unique, this Carmen, because it’s very modern, very visual. It’s visually striking in colors, in costumes, in how she presents the sets; the dancers are always moving some pieces of the set.
[Lopez Ochoa is] inspired by the story, but she’s not letting the story completely take over everything. She has her own voice within the story, and it’s a young perspective. The music is a classic, so I think that’s a big comfort zone for people, and I think that’s why it was so successful, and that’s why it’s back, because not everybody was able to see it last year.On “Your Perfect Golden Hour,” running April 11-12 at The Parker: This is not Carmen. It will be flashy and loud with big scenery. And this is an opportunity to see the artists of Miami City Ballet in a much more intimate environment, a closer environment, with pieces that allow for that intimacy to happen onstage but also be felt by the audience.
It’s a very different program from all of the rest of the season. It’s a very diverse group of modern choreographers and neoclassical choreographers and young choreographers also, that bring their perspective in a very intimate way. It’s a great date-night show for a couple to experience together, but also for anybody that is really into the closeness of the artists.
On “Vamos! To the Beach,” running May 9-10 at Broward Center: These are very famous pieces of music, very famous bands, very famous artists that speak to a broader audience, which I think is really important. And they’re just fun music that you sometimes don’t expect are going to be attached to a ballet company. And yet, that’s not true—Paul Taylor’s Company B is a major piece of work with The Andrews Sisters. It’s been around for a long time. Many ballet companies have done it. It’s a great ballet. It’s a great program, really, to show the versatility of these dancers. And I think that’s going to be very clear there. It’s going to be really clear with Deuce Coupe from Twyla Tharp, who is always pushing the boundaries, because it’s a big ballet. It’s a program that offers you the opportunity to see all the dancers in the company.
At The Parker you’ll see smaller groups; here’s it’s a massive program. The theme that they all have in common is they are really fun, upbeat, high-energy pieces. And I think it’s a great way to end the 40th anniversary season on a high note.
This Web Extra is from the April 2026 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
