Like enchanted clouds sweeping across the sky, dancers with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami (CCBM) will seduce with “An Evening in White” at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m.
CCBM will present some of the cherished “white ballets” by some of the most revered choreographers and composers of the 19th century, featuring international Cuban principal dancers, CCBM soloists and the company’s corps de ballet in beautiful costumes, surrounded by elaborate scenery.
A ballet blanc, or white ballet, is a scene in which the ballerina and the female corps de ballet all wear white dresses or tutus. Typical in the romantic style of ballet from the 19th century, ballets blancs are usually populated by ghosts, dryads, naiads, enchanted maidens, fairies and other supernatural creatures. The pieces are filled with a magical atmosphere where unrequited love, the moon, death, the realm of the spirit and the mysteries of nature predominate.
Performances include “Les Sylphides,” with choreography by Mikhail Fokine to music by Frederick Chopin. The story follows a young man walking at night who encounters a group of white sylphs (slender young women that are spirits of the air) dancing in the moonlight.
(Simon Soong)
Gretel Batista and Arionel Vargas dance in the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami’s production of “Giselle.”
“Giselle,” with choreography by Perrot & Corelli and music by Adolphe Adam, is considered a classical ballet masterwork; it premiered in 1841. The ghost-filled ballet is a tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl who falls for the flirtations of the deceitful and disguised nobleman, Albrecht. When his subterfuge is revealed, the fragile Giselle dies of heartbreak and Albrecht must face the otherworldly consequences of his careless seduction.
“La Sylphide,” one of the oldest surviving romantic ballets, was originally choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832; a second version was choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. It’s a magical story of forbidden love and heartbreak. Set in the mist-shrouded Scottish Highlands, a land of mystery and enchantment, a young Scotsman falls under the spell of a sylph, a fairy-like spirit. He devotes himself to her, but their romance is doomed.
“The Dying Swan,” a solo one-act ballet with choreography by Mikhail Fokine and music by Camile Saint-Saëns, premiered in 1907 as a showcase for iconic ballerina Anna Pavlova. The poignant fluttering movements of the ballet’s heroine evoke the struggles of the dying bird, showcasing the ephemeral art of a ballerina.
(Courtesy Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami)
Gretel Batista and Ihosvany Rodriguez in “La Bayadere,” a performance of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami.
“La Bayadere,” set in Royal India with choreography Marius Petipa to music by Minkus, is a story of beautiful bayadère temple dancer Nikiya and the warrior Solor. They’ve sworn the eternal fidelity to one another that cannot be achieved in life, and their souls as shades are reunited in death and everlasting love.
CCBM was founded in 2007 by National Ballet of Cuba exile Pedro Pablo Peno, who came to the United States on the famed Mariel boatlift to seek freedom. He died in 2018. Current director Maestro Eriberto Jimenez is dedicated to CCBM's mission of promoting and preserving the classical ballet repertoire, technique and style as exemplified by the famed Cuban School of Ballet.
For tickets and information, visit CubanClassicalBalletOfMiami.org.