There’s excitement in the air at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School. Dancers participating in the Summer Intensive program are preparing for On Stage, on July 31st. The pre-professional dancers will be joined by guest artists, including The Washington Ballet’s principal dancers, Ariel Martinez, and Gian Carlo Perez, and Ballet San Antonio’s Emma Town,. The production will feature excerpts from well-known Russian ballet classics and original contemporary works by the Cuban Ballet School’s celebrated choreographer, Tania Vergara.
Sean Miller and Natalia Chersia, Cuban Ballet School pre-professionals who won first place in the Youth America Grand Prix regional in Atlanta earlier this year and went on the finals, will dance together in “Harlequinade[JP1] .” Sean will join the Miami City Ballet in August. He’s only one of many students who have gone on to professional careers with companies including the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Milwaukee Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Boston Ballet, Ballet San Antonio and Ballet West.
Ariel Serrano, artistic director and co-founder is looking forward to this July 31st Gala performance. “Because of the pandemic, we could not hold this showcase event last summer, and we are thrilled to be able to be back in the theater again and to give our dancers the opportunity to do what they love best, perform for a live audience.” Past performances have garnered rave reviews and audiences have expressed great surprise that most of the dancers in these full scale professional caliber performances are not yet members of professional companies.
On Stage 2021, will be held at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Avenue West, Bradenton. This theater is easily accessible from Sarasota and the rest of the Tampa Bay area. Tickets can be purchased by phone 941-748-5875, at the box office, or online at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School’s website www.srqcubanballet.com.
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About The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School
SCBS was founded in 2011 by the Cuban-born husband and wife team of Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez. They trained at the elite Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba and performed internationally. In 1993, they moved to Sarasota to join the Sarasota Ballet, where they danced as principals ,They offer classes at all levels for students from age three to adults, but the heart of the School’s program is a rigorous training course to prepare talented, serious young dancers for professional careers. Students of SCBS have won numerous awards in international ballet competitions, and have gone on to perform with companies such as the Royal Ballet (UK), Birmingham Ballet (UK) Dance Theater of Harlem, State Street Ballet, Ballet San Antonio, Milwaukee Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet West, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Miami City Ballet.