ARIEL ROSE
Peruvian-American Choreographer
Soloist with Miami City Ballet
Choreographic Fellow at Center for Ballet and the Arts
Young Arts Scholar
Press/Reviews
"The icing on the cake was the evening’s final presentation.
Former NYCB principal dancer Peter Frame, who died last September, was also on the BAE faculty. Elysium is dedicated to him, and I cannot conceive of a tribute as apt as this. Choreographed by Ariel Rose, a former BAE student and currently a member of Miami City Ballet, to music by Arcangelo Corelli, Elysium is a magnificent dance that might be fitting for a professional company, even though the presence of student dancers is essential for it to be as magnificent as it is.
When Jennifer Kronenberg launched Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami with husband Carlos Guerra less than two years ago, she never dreamed their fledgling troupe would be performing in two of the country’s most famous dance venues so soon.
“It’s surreal,” said the former Miami City Ballet principal ballerina, as Dimensions prepared to open the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival June 26 and 27, going on to the Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out series on June 29. “We’re still very new. Some companies have been around forever and never get invited to places like the Joyce and Jacob’s Pillow.”
Adds Guerra, “We never thought we would reach this level in such a short time. It’s been an amazing journey.”
They owe their early arrival to two of the qualities that have already made the 16-member ensemble a successful and beloved presence in Miami: strong community connections, and a repertory and roster that reflect this predominantly Latino city.
What do you hope the audience experiences when they watch your piece?
"While my piece is not a direct story with a plot, it seeks to represent a married couple in a historical situation in a specific period, in a particular country. It is my hope (and always my hope) that people will want to research or read up on this period in Românian history or any history.
"For Ariel Rose, a rising choreographer who is also a Miami City Ballet dancer, creating for “Men Who Dance” has taken on new meaning since the onset of the pandemic. The overwhelming impact of the pandemic, quarantine, the longing to dance, and the difficult, uncertain efforts to bring back live performance, all have become part of his piece, “Solstice in Solace.”
When Maldonado first invited him, Rose planned to explore the closeness between Miami City Ballet stars Renan Cerdeiro and Kleber Rebello, childhood friends who studied dance together in their native Brazil.
"They represent two artists who depend and lean on each other to absorb everything that’s happened in the world."
The trio rehearsed in person at the National YoungArts Foundation’s JewelBox studio, and Miami City Ballet is allowing Rose, for the first time, to present one of his dances as a representative of the troupe.
“For me, it felt like a long winter, an eclipse, this absence of art,” says Rose, who just turned 30. “For my generation, this has been a defining era. We’ve seen 9/11, the stock market crash, the immigrant crisis. COVID made me look back on my life and what’s happened in this country." -Artburst Miami