A glittering 50th Anniversary celebration of George Balanchine’s Jewels will open Miami City Ballet’s 2017-18 season on October 20, 2017, and will mark the first time the company has performed Balanchine’s full-evening masterpiece in a decade. Jewels will be performed to live music by MCB’s Opus One Orchestra, conducted by Gary Sheldon.
Balanchine’s choreography for Jewels is inspired by precious gems – emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. Premiering in 1967, each of its three parts showcases different music and international styles of ballet: “Emeralds,” with music by Fauré, evokes the dreamy romanticism of French ballet and is Balanchine at his most romantic and lyrical; “Rubies,” set to music by Stravinsky, conjures the vibrancy, wit and exuberance of the American Jazz Age; and “Diamonds,” with music by Tchaikovsky, reflects the classic grandeur of 19th-century Russian ballet at its imperial height.
The company’s 52-member roster for the 2017-18 season includes several promotions, including Jennifer Lauren to principal, Lauren Fadeley to principal soloist and Ashley Knox to soloist, and the addition of seven new dancers: former longtime MCB dancer Katia Carranza will return as a principal dancer, Alexander Peters as a principal soloist and Eric Beckham, Julia Cinquemani, Aaron Hilton, Harrison Monaco and Alyssa Schroeder as corps de ballet dancer.

Miami City Ballet performs in three locations across South Florida: in Broward, Miami – Dade and Palm Beach counties. Jewels will be performed as follows:
WHERE: October 20 – 22 Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami October 28 – 29 Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale November 17 – 19 Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach.