ARTS BALLET THEATRE OF FLORIDA Opens 2026–2027 Season

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida opens its 2026-2027 season with two performances of a wide-ranging program of classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The season-opening program will be presented Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale and Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center in Aventura.

A pre-show discussion will be held 30 minutes before each performance, beginning at 7 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale and 4:30 p.m. in Aventura. The discussions will give audience members additional insight into the choreography, music and artistic history behind the program's repertoire.

Presented under the artistic direction of Maestro Vladimir Issaev, Program I: Classical and Neo-Classical Ballets brings together five distinctive works: Vicente Nebrada's Pentimento, Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters, Issaev's Four Seasons, Lusian Hernandez's Corpus and the company premiere of Marius Petipa's Raymonda Grand Pas.

The program moves from lyrical neoclassicism and contemporary expression to the speed, precision and grandeur of the classical ballet tradition. Together, the works provide a showcase for the technical strength, musicality and dramatic range of Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida's international company of professional dancers.

Vicente Nebrada's Pentimento

The program includes Pentimento by the late Venezuelan choreographer Vicente Nebrada, one of Latin America's most influential dance artists.

Known for choreography that combines the structure of classical ballet with expressive partnering, sculptural movement and Latin American theatricality, Nebrada created works that are both technically demanding and emotionally direct.

The title Pentimento refers to the visible trace of an earlier image beneath the surface of a painting-an artistic detail suggesting memory, transformation and layers of experience.

With its elegance, lyricism and distinctive movement vocabulary, Pentimento reflects Nebrada's important contribution to the development of ballet in Latin America and internationally.

Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters

Spring Waters is an exhilarating display of speed, strength and trust between two dancers. Choreographed by renowned ballet master Asaf Messerer and set to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the pas de deux is celebrated for its sweeping lifts, airborne movement and sense of unstoppable momentum.

The dancers appear to surge across the stage with the force and freshness of rushing water. Behind the work's apparent freedom is extremely demanding choreography requiring exact timing, secure partnering and exceptional athletic control.

Short, vivid and immediately engaging, Spring Waters has become a favorite with ballet audiences because of its combination of romantic musicality and breathtaking physical daring.

Vladimir Issaev's Four Seasons

Issaev's Four Seasons is set to music from Giuseppe Verdi's grand opera Les Vêpres Siciliennes. Originally created for the Mariinsky Theatre, the ballet interprets the changing seasons through a series of carefully constructed dances and pas de deux.

Rather than presenting a literal narrative, the choreography uses musicality, changing moods and contrasting movement to suggest the individual character of winter, spring, summer and fall.

Each section creates its own atmosphere while contributing to a larger meditation on change, renewal and the passage of time. The work allows the company's dancers to demonstrate classical refinement, expressive partnering and the ability to respond to the dramatic richness of Verdi's score.

Lusian Hernandez's Corpus

The evening's contemporary selection is Corpus, an expressive work by choreographer Lusian Hernandez. First introduced during the pandemic, the ballet now returns to the stage for a broader audience.

Through a contemporary movement vocabulary, Corpus examines the expressive possibilities of the human body and the ways dancers communicate through physical form, energy and space. Its grounded, modern style creates a compelling contrast with the program's classical and neoclassical works.

The return of Corpus also reflects Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida's commitment to supporting contemporary choreographic voices and presenting works shaped by recent artistic and human experience.

Company Premiere of Raymonda Grand Pas

The performance concludes with Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida's company premiere of Raymonda Grand Pas, featuring Marius Petipa's celebrated choreography set to Alexander Glazunov's richly orchestrated score.

Drawn from the grand tradition of late-19th-century Russian ballet, Raymonda Grand Pas is known for its regal elegance, formal beauty and demanding classical technique.

The choreography includes featured variations, refined partnering and ensemble passages that require precision, coordination and a strong sense of classical style.

Glazunov's score gives the ballet a distinctive musical richness, while Petipa's choreography provides opportunities for principal dancers and the ensemble to display balance, control, clean footwork and individual artistry.

As the program's finale, Raymonda Grand Pas brings the performance to a brilliant conclusion and marks an important addition to the company's classical repertoire.

Performance Information

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida: Program I - Classical and Neo-Classical Ballets

Fort Lauderdale performance

Saturday, October 3, 2026
Pre-show discussion: 7 p.m.
Performance: 7:30 p.m.

Amaturo Theater
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
201 SW Fifth Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Tickets may be purchased at www.BrowardCenter.org or by calling the Broward Center box office at 954-462-0222.

Aventura performance

Sunday, October 4, 2026
Pre-show discussion: 4:30 p.m.
Performance: 5 p.m.

Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188th Street
Aventura, FL 33180

Tickets may be purchased at www.AventuraCenter.org or by calling the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center box office at 954-660-6307.

Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets only through the venues' official websites or box offices.

For additional information about Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, visit www.ArtsBalletTheatre.org or call 305-947-3998.

Programs, casting and performance information are subject to change.

About Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida

Founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Vladimir Issaev, Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida is one of South Florida's leading professional ballet companies.

Now entering its 29th season, the company presents classical masterpieces, neoclassical works and contemporary choreography performed by accomplished dancers from around the world.

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida is committed to making professional dance accessible to the community through mainstage performances, educational programs, school presentations, workshops, sensory-inclusive performances and public outreach.

The company is headquartered at 15939 Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami Beach, Florida.