Program 3
Fresh & Fierce
(Kravis Center), April 22, 2023 7:30PM

Program
A feast for the senses and the soul featuring the dramatic crowd favorite West Side Story Suite, a stylish new work by choreographer Durante Verzola, and a beloved ballet of epic scale in Symphony in C.
West Side Story Suite (Robbins / Bernstein)
Whether on stage or on screen, the music, dancing, and drama of West Side Story never disappoints. In 1995, Jerome Robbins adapted his smash-hit musical into a brilliantly theatrical suite of dances. Revel in the energy of the MCB’s own dancing and singing Sharks and Jets as they face it out at the school gym and ultimately – tragically – rumble in the streets. Feel for the tender lovers Tony and Maria, and paint the town with Anita and Bernardo as the suite unfolds – in a swirling showcase of Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim’s collective genius.

World Premiere by Durante Verzola (Verzola / Lecuona)
This is the first commissioned work by Durante Verzola, a highly talented young choreographer who comes from the MCB School, fusing his gorgeous choreographic style with the lush designs of Miami-based international fashion designer Esteban Cortázar. 

Symphony in C (Balanchine / Bizet)
Perhaps Balanchine’s most loved ballet, the exhilarating Symphony in C features over fifty dancers, the women in sparkling-white tutus, spilling across the stage to Bizet’s enchantingly effervescent music. “Here is a classic ballet that will go down in history as the finest example of this thrilling art form.” - Anatol Chujoy, U.S. Dance Critic