With its Latin American influences, Miami has become a city known for international dance.  Home to the Miami City Ballet and the Miami Dance Festival, the city is bustling with dance from modern to contemporary, salsa, and the Merengue.

Besides seeing professional shows, one of the ways to enjoy dance in Miami is to frequent the local dance clubs. Bongos and Café Mystique are only a few of the spots to practice your salsa and watch the pros. Nestled in Miami Beach, these clubs are a showcase of the Latin flair and passion of dance in Miami.

But, if you are not the type to break it down in a salsa club there are plenty of other ways to soak up the culture of dance.

The Miami City Ballet is Florida’s internationally acclaimed company and is based right in Miami Beach on Lincoln Road. Founded in 1985 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer, Edward Villela, the company now has more than 55 international dancers and offers performances right in the heart of South Florida. For the 2012-13 season, performances include a world premiere from Liam Scarlett and an “electrifying new work” by Alexei Ratmansky.

Miami also hosts South Florida’s Premier Dance convention, Miami Dance magic, which brings in dancers from around the world and offers over 20 hours of workshops and spans an entire weekend.  It also holds a full schedule of West Coast Swing contests, including the Pro-Arms, Strictly Swing, Jack & Jills, to a Masters Routine Division and Rising Star. For 2013, the convention will take place from July 18-22.

Also, right here at the University of Miami our students dive into the dance ambiance of Miami through different groups and organizations.  Whether they break it down in UM’s hip-hop group, KAOS, or join Miami Motion, which specializes in Jazz, Contemporary, and Lyrical, the dance groups at UM are always offering entertainment.

Whatever your preference — whether you are looking to break free and dance the night away and a salsa club in Miami or go see a spectacular ballet right in the heart of Miami Beach — there are plenty of ways to enjoy dance.

In this section of the website, we review professional performances and hope you enjoy our work.

— Brittany Weiner
Spring 2013