Spanish dancer and choreographer Gonzalo García has been announced as the new artistic director of the Miami City Ballet, starting this August and following in the footsteps of his predecessors Edward Villella and Lourdes López.
To lead the MCB, García will leave his positions as repertory director for the New York City Ballet and faculty of the School of American Ballet at the Lincoln Center. Before that, he was principal dancer of first the Francisco Ballet and then the New York City Ballet.
"It was meant to happen. The more I went through the process, the more I felt energized and more comfortable with the idea that it was me. I kept thinking, 'that's me," he told The Miami Herald. "I speak Spanish. I'm an immigrant. I can relate to so many people that represent the community. I also have this incredible trajectory with the Balanchine and the Robbins and these American companies that have been represented in Miami City Ballet's history. I feel like it's been like almost every step and every skill that I have acquired through my life has brought me to this place and I do believe that strongly."
García is also interested in bringing the city to the stage and to the dances, while being respectful of the original material.
"The stories that are happening in Miami, maybe that can be represented on stage. And who can be the right dance maker that can bring those stories to life? That's something that I want to invest in. Miami is just simmering with potential from all areas and parts of the world and the country. I don't seek to change what's already been created, but how do we make that bigger and better and how do we add things that are representative of the community we are dancing for?"
According to his resume, "At 15, the native of Zaragoza, Spain, was the youngest dancer to receive a gold medal at international dance competition the Prix de Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1995. At 17, he was offered a contract to join San Francisco Ballet but decided to study one more year, joining the company in 1998. He was promoted to principal dancer at 22, one of the youngest dancers in the company to reach the status. He arrived at New York City Ballet as a principal dancer in 2007.
