Orlando Taquechel (Artburst Miami) writes about the 31st International Ballet Festival of Miami (IBFM), now taking place in South Florida. The article mentions several well-known Cuban dancers and artistic directors such as Carlos Guerra, Marize Fumero, Arionel Vargas, Beatriz García, Armando Bryson, and Mayrel Martínez, as well as Colombian principal dancer José Manuel Ghiso and Venezuelan dancer Mary Carmen Catoya. See details for upcoming performance dates (August 8 & 9; August 15; and the closing gala on August 16) below and at Artburst Miami.
The 31st International Ballet Festival of Miami (IBFM) is in full swing on stages across South Florida. The festival, now a summer tradition that culminates in its Grand Classical Gala and Closing Gala at the Fillmore Miami Beach, offers audiences a chance to see dancers and companies that rarely perform in South Florida.
For many of the performers, it has meant sharing in experiences, a launching pad for careers, a place where artistic connections are made and lasting memories linger. [. . .]
Dance NOW! Miami co-founder and co-director Hannah Baumgarten remembers waiting backstage before a 1998 performance with Momentum Dance Company when she watched a young Tamara Rojo dance with the English National Ballet. “The young woman performing was spectacular and had a special spark in her eyes,” Baumgarten recalled. Rojo is now artistic director of San Francisco Ballet.
“It is those moments,” Baumgarten said, “that make international festivals so valuable: sharing with immense talents, feeling the respect shown for our work around the world and following the paths of those who are headed toward magnificent lives and careers.”
For Colombian principal dancer José Manuel Ghiso and his wife, Chilean principal dancer Natalia Berrios, the festival became an important part of their international careers. Ghiso first performed at the festival in 1999; Berrios made her debut in 2001. They returned together in 2011 and 2016 as a partnership from the Ballet de Santiago before dancing the “Onegin” pas de deux as their farewell festival performance in 2019. [. . .]
Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra also credit the festival with helping strengthen artistic relationships. The pair debuted at the festival in 2004 as principal dancers with Miami City Ballet and later returned to represent their own company, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, which they founded in 2016. [. . .]
Since moving to the United States in 2016, Cuban dancer Mayrel Martínez said she has performed at the festival on several occasions: first with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami and later representing DDTM. [. . .]
The IBFM also marked the first opportunity for freelance Cuban dancers Beatriz García and Armando Bryson to perform in the United States after they emigrated in 2022; both say they are “immensely grateful” to IBFM director Eriberto Jiménez for what they describe as “a genuine welcoming embrace.” [. . .]
WHAT: The 31st International Ballet Festival of Miami
WHEN and WHERE: Contemporary Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, Euclid Oval, Lincoln Road, 660 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach (free); 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, Manuel Artime Theater, 900 SW 1st St., Miami; 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211 St., Cutler Bay; 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
Classical Ballet Performances: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, Grand Classical Gala, The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, Closing Gala of the Stars, The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.
COST: Lincoln Road (free). $45, contemporary performances. $40 to $70, classical performances.
INFORMATION: (786) 747-1877 and internationalballetfestival.org
For full article, see https://www.artburstmiami.com/dance-articles/international-ballet-festival-miami-dancers-reflect
[Shown above (photo by Simon Soong): Cuban dancers Marize Fumero and Arionel Vargas, dancers with the Milwaukee Ballet—one of the companies participating in the 31st International Ballet Festival of Miami 2026.]