Don’t miss out on the grace and beauty of the Miami International Ballet Festival

This week, the Miami International Ballet Festival comes to downtown Miami, showcasing the best dancers from around the world. While fluctuating travel restrictions have prevented the festival from announcing a hard lineup, there are companies from Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, England, Portugal, Japan, Canada and Germany slated to attend.

The festivities kicked off privately on July 23 with a gallery opening for Cuban artist Edel Álvarez Galban, who designed the festival’s poster this year and whose collection, “Visages de L’art,” will be on display at the headquarters of the festival’s organizing body, the Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center, throughout the program.

The first performances of the festival will kick off on July 28, as youth winners of the top competitions on the global circuit showcase the skills that won them their spots. The following week’s performances will feature an eclectic mix of music and dance styles, as modern, contemporary approaches to the form are highlighted. The closing dates will feature stars from around the world performing the most famous pieces of choreography in the ballet cannon and a gala awarding the industry’s greatest critics and commentators.

The event calendar is populated with a diversity of opportunities for dance-lovers to engage with the art. Screenings of the documentary Ballets Russes will give viewers a deep look into one of the genre’s most influential companies of the 20th century, whose activities in Paris in the 1920s represented a confluence of composers, costumers, choreographers and more, all at the top of their fields.

With free outdoor performances on July 31 and August 4, complimentary student admission for youth performances and programming that spans countries, weeks and modes of dance, this festival will be accessible and enjoyable for all who are in the area.