Miami City Ballet to perform in Broward

Free outdoor pop-up includes 8 short works today in Esplanade Park

Ballet is back in Broward. And even better, it’s free.

That’s what Miami City Ballet is saying about their outdoor pop-up performance “To Broward, With Love,” playing Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park on Sunday, March

28 at 4 p.m.

The show is made up of eight short works — none longer than 11 minutes, so the program is about

50 minutes — covering genres from classical ballet to modern and even flamenco. The pieces were created by Miami City Ballet dancers.

Again, admission is free, but in the interest of crowd control, you still must order tickets online at MiamiCityBallet.org/popups#tobroward. Use the promo code “POPUP.”

Masks and social distancing are required and attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or low-sitting chair.

Because of COVID-19, the last time the dance company performed at its usual stop at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts was Feb. 29-March 1, 2020.

“We were doing Justin Peck’s ‘Rodeo,’ which was a fantastic piece,” recalls dancer Bradley Dunlap, of the presentation that also included repertory piece

“Nine Sinatra Songs” by Twyla Tharp and “Firebird” by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, with 3-D projections that dazzled audiences in Miami and West Palm Beach before playing Fort Lauderdale.

Dunlap is a MCB corps de ballet dancer and the choreographer of “Everybody Step,” one of the works to be performed at the pop-up this weekend. His six-minute creation was also

performed in the MiamiDade County version of al fresco shows, including in the Design District, the Wynwood Arts District, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and at the Underline, a new 10-mile-long linear park nestled underneath the elevated Metrorail tracks.

“We had all worked on different locations,” Dunlap explains. “The choreography was informed by those locations. For myself [it was] the Underline. That is what was driving the choreography. That was what was in my mind.”

As for Esplanade Park, he says, “I won’t really know until we get out there and see the space. Space will be the big thing. I remember this one piece, they danced in the grass at Fairchild [Garden]. They had socks on. It was by Renan Cerdeiro.”

Pas de deux with the pandemic

For the company, there have been challenges all around because of the coronavirus, he says.

“Well, I can only speak from the dancer end of things. From that standpoint the struggles are for rehearsals. You can’t get everyone into a studio. The rehearsals have to be formatted ... half the girls and then the other half of the girls. Testing protocols we’ve had been put forward — the challenges of dancing with a mask on, rehearsing and practicing with a mask on. A lot of us have been rehearsing outside, taking over a parking garage on Lincoln Road.”

Whatever it takes, says the Ohio native who has been working for MCB for 15 years.

“The biggest thing was just being together again as a group,” he adds. “We come from a culture where we are with each other more than we sometimes like. We go in at 11 in the morning and we’re not leaving until 11 at night, working six days a week. It’s a shared passion that we all have, to dance and perform. And it’s harder to share that.”

Which is why the upcoming performance at Esplanade Park, in the shadow of the Broward Center, is so special to Dunlap.

“I just want to tell you that the Broward Center is one of my favorite theaters. I miss it. I look forward to coming back.”

The program for the park

“Fire and Gold” — Choreography by Eric Trope and featuring Alaina Andersen, Renan Cerdeiro, Shimon Ito, Ashley Knox, Alexander Peters and Nicole Stalker (approximately 11 minutes in length).

“Realized Inner Voices” — Choreography by Julian Goodwin-Ferris and featuring Satoki Habuchi, Jennifer Lauren and Luiz Silva (about 5 minutes).

“A Lovely Feeling” — Choreography by Cameron Catazaro, featuring the choreographer and Ellen Grocki (about 4 minutes).

“Córdoba” — Headline choreography by Ariel Rose, featuring the choreographer and Iztkan Barbosa (about 3 minutes).

“Everybody Step” — Choreography by Bradley Dunlap and featuring Suzette Logue, Jordan Elizabeth Long and Chase Swatosh (about 6 minutes).

“Não Esqueça” — Choreography by Renan Cerdeiro and featuring Mayumi Enokibara, Julian Goodwin-Ferris, Ben Lepson, Taylor Naturkas and Luiz Silva (about 9 minutes).

“Tang” — Choreography by Alaina Andersen and featuring Jordan Martinez and Francisco Schilereff (about 4.30 minutes)

“Lengua Larga” — Headline choreography by Harrison Monaco and featuring Adrienne Carter, Julia Cinquemani, Madison McDonagh and Helen Ruiz (about 5 minutes).