Adiarys Almedia and Randy Herrera Join Florida Youth Dance Gala Tonight

Mauricio Cañete, Founder and director of MC Dance Productions, today announced that international ballet stars Adiarys Almeida and Randy Herrera will join more than 50 talented dancers from 16 different dance academies to perform in the 2nd annual FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA. The dance-packed event will be held at the Duncan Theatre, located on the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College, tonight, February 7, at 7:30 p.m.

The Gala is being sponsored by Só Dança USA, a leading provider of quality dance supplies. Adiarys Almeida is a former dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, Cincinnati Ballet, Corella Ballet and Boston Ballet, and has performed as a Principal Guest Artist with many companies around the world including Ballet Concerto de Puerto Rico, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Ballet Mississippi, Miami International Ballet Festival, Florida Classical Ballet, Baltic Ballet Festival, Ballet Tech Ohio, NBA Ballet in Japan, Slovene National Opera and Ballet, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, Nureyev Festival in Kazan, Russia, Carreno Festival, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Rosario Suarez, Balletto Della Opera Di Roma, Open Dance Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Festival Ballet of Providence, Ballet Met, Ballet Dortmund, Ballet San Jose, Russian Academy of Ballet and The Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition. The Acapulco-born Randy Herrera attended the Latin American Performing Arts Conservatory in Chicago where he studied with Maria Francesca Cabrera, and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. He was also trained at the School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School, and received the prestigious Princess Grace award when he was 19 years old. A member of the Joffrey Ballet from 1999-2001, he later was a Principal dancer with Houston Ballet for nine years. In addition, Mr. Herrera has performed in Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Japan. Following last year's sold out success, the second FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA will feature extraordinarily talented dancers from leading dance academies from all over the state. The nine returning dance schools from the first FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA include Boca Ballet School of Boca Raton, the School of Ballet Arts in Greenacres, Jupiter's Paris Ballet & Dance, the Florida School for Dance Education in Palm Beach Gardens, The Arts of Classical Ballet in Pompano Beach, the St. Lucie Ballet of Port St. Lucie, the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, Tampa's America's Ballet School and the Florida Dance Conservatory of West Palm Beach. The seven first time participants in the FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA 2015 will be Boca Raton's HARID Conservatory, the Kirova Ballet Academy from Hallandale Beach, the Vladimar Issaey School of Classical Ballet in North Miami Beach, the Orlando Ballet School, Pembroke Ballet in Pembroke Pines, Tampa's All American Classical Ballet and Ballet East in West Palm Beach. Dedicated to "celebrating and gathering talented dancers" from all over the state, the FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA will "showcase new choreography, finalists from major dance competitions and some electrifying young dancers, resulting in one of the most memorable dance event of the coming season," says Cañete, a former dancer with Houston Ballet, Ballet Florida and Ballet Eloelle, who has wowed audiences in England, Russia, Hong Kong, Canada, Austria, Germany, China, Japan and throughout the Far East.

"My goal is to give the next generation of dancers the opportunity to perform in a professional environment. In fact, the more than 50 participating dancers were selected after intense consultations with directors, teachers and co-dancers statewide," he adds. "They will perform pieces to various ballet styles, including Classical, Contemporary and Balanchine, and will even dance to new works by young and emerging choreographers." Tickets for the second FLORIDA YOUTH DANCE GALA are only $30 general admission can be purchased online at floridayouthdancegala.com.