Born and raised in Miami, FL, Isabel Almaraz began her artistic journey as a dancer; graduating from acclaimed performing arts high school, Coral Reef Senior High and beginning her professional career as a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist at the age of 18. Isabel earned a B.A. in Dance Education from Florida International University and an M.A. in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design. Isabel has taught, choreographed, and directed dance programs in public schools and private dance studios, choreographed for international personalities such as Jon Secada and impersonators Frankie Kein and Manuel Arte; and danced for touring and local theatrical productions, commercial and industrial dance companies, and lyrical theater companies. As an Arts Administrator, Isabel has experience in arts education/community programs, writing and managing grants, and serves on various grant panels for the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs.
BALLET CONCERTO: Pioneras del Ballet Clasico en Miami Se Retiran Despues de 55 Años
September 22, 2016
September 22, 2016
Ballet Concerto en Miami, FL cerrara sus puertas despues de 55 años. Una de las escuelas de ballet clasico de mayor calidad en Miami, Ballet Concerto abrio sus puertas en 1961 y posteriormente fundo la primera compañia de ballet profesional en el sur de la Florida en 1964. La escuela produjo nombres reconocibles en el mundo de la danza, mas destacadamente Fernando Bujones, y la compañia creo un precedente para el ballet clasico en Miami al invitar a los mas extraordinarios artistas del ballet del siglo veinte al sur de la Florida por primera vez. Artistas invitados incluyeron a Rudolph Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Cynthia Gregory, Natalia Makarova, Ivan Nagy, Gelsey Kirkland y Alexander Gudonov para nombrar solo algunos. Ballet Concerto se conservara como una institucion clave en el desarrollo de las artes y la cultura en el sur de Florida, especialmente entre de la comunidad hispana. Las directoras Sonia Diaz y Martha del Pino, que se exiliaron del Ballet Nacional de Cuba, donde bailaron junto a Alicia Alonso y bajo la direccion de Fernando Alonso, implementaron y mantuvieron el plan de estudio riguroso que hoy en dia destaca al ballet clasico cubano. No hay duda de que el cierre de esta gran institucion deja un enorme vacio, sobre todo en el corazon de las tres generaciones que estudiaron y bailaron en Ballet Concerto y en la memoria de los que fueron testigo de la evolucion de las artes culturales en Miami entre los años sesenta y ochenta, cuando la escuela y compañia estaban en la cima.
BALLET CONCERTO: South Florida Classical Ballet Pioneers Retire After 55 Years
September 15, 2016
September 15, 2016
Ballet Concerto School in Miami, FL will close after 55 years. One of the oldest and arguably one of the highest quality classical ballet schools in the region, Ballet Concerto opened its doors in 1961 and subsequently Miami's first professional ballet company, Ballet Concerto Company, in 1964. The school produced some recognizable names, most notably Fernando Bujones, and the company set a precedent for classical ballet in the area by bringing the most extraordinary ballet artists of the twentieth century to South Florida for the first time. Guest artists included Rudolph Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Cynthia Gregory, Natalia Makarova, Ivan Nagy, Gelsey Kirkland, and Alexander Gudonov to name a few. Ballet Concerto will be remembered as a key player in the development of arts and culture in South Florida, especially within the Hispanic community. Artistic Directors Sonia Diaz and Martha del Pino, who defected from Ballet Nacional de Cuba, where they danced alongside Alicia Alonso and under the direction of Fernando Alonso, implemented and maintained the rigorous classical curriculum that Cuban ballet has since become known for. There is no question of the void left by the closing of this Miami establishment, mostly in the heart of the three generations, and thousands of students who studied and danced at Ballet Concerto and in the memory of those who witnessed the evolution of the cultural arts in Miami between the 1960's and 1980's, when the school and company were at its peak.
TRANSFORMATIVE TURN: Miami City Ballet Enters Its Shining Moment Under the Direction of Lourdes Lopez
March 19, 2015
March 19, 2015
Miami City Ballet has been in a period of transition, a transformation if you will, that has been unsurprisingly effective in reinventing the company and catapulting it to the world-class ballet company that it has always been on the verge of becoming. Lourdes Lopez' arrival in 2012 has infused the company with balance: balance of repertoire, style, choreography, and a complete re-imagining of how to stay true to the fundamental nature of the company without becoming conventional.
Photo Coverage: Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center Transforms Into OZ for the Return of WICKED
March 16, 2015
March 16, 2015
Go backstage at the Adrienne Arsht Center's Ziff Ballet Opera House and see it transform into OZ for WICKED's return to Miami. WICKED will play at the Arsht Center from March 11-March 29, after a record-breaking run at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. Watch as the Munchkinland Tour takes over Miami and gives the Arsht Center an Ozian makeover.
BWW Reviews: TRUST Dominates Through Humor and Superb Directing
March 9, 2015
March 9, 2015
Zoetic Stage offers a witty and entertaining glimpse into the journey of self discovery with the South Florida premiere of Paul Weitz' dark comedy TRUST, now playing at the Adrienne Arsht Center's Carnival Studio Theater. In an intimate atmosphere, director Stuart Meltzer captures the audience with superb directing; and without the need to show too much, the audience is treated to real adult scenarios by a witty and committed cast.
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