New World Dance Ensemble brings award-winning choreography to Sanctuary of the Arts

Two dancers from the New World Dance Ensemble perform onstage—one standing in a sweeping pose with an arm extended as another lies stretched across the floor beneath them.

Dancers from the New World Dance Ensemble perform repertory works ahead of Friday’s program at Sanctuary of the Arts, which features choreography by Robert Battle, Paul Taylor, and others.

By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Sanctuary of the Arts in downtown Coral Gables will host an evening of nationally recognized choreography and rising talent on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m., as the New World Dance Ensemble performs a 90-minute program featuring works by some of the most influential figures in contemporary dance.

The centerpiece is Coming Home, a work created by Miami native and New World School of the Arts alumnus Robert Battle, who went on to lead the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and now serves as choreographer-in-residence for the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York. Set to a high-energy score, the piece has been celebrated for its emotional power and physical dynamism, and its return to a Miami stage brings Battle’s artistic journey full circle.

The evening also features an excerpt from a Paul Taylor masterwork set to J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major, a luminous and musically intricate piece that showcases the choreographer’s signature blend of structure and lyricism. The inclusion adds artistic depth and gives audiences a rare opportunity to experience Taylor’s work performed by students trained in his lineage.

Rounding out the program are:

Joplin Dances by Robert Garland, a playful and musically rich work built on ragtime rhythms,
Circle Marries the Line, a new piece by choreographer Jamar Roberts, known for his tenure with Alvin Ailey and his incisive approach to contemporary movement,
Blink by Maleek Washington, a fast-paced, physically charged work rooted in modern technique and street-inflected vocabulary.

Sanctuary of the Arts, located at 410 Andalusia Avenue, has quickly become one of the region’s most intimate and visually distinctive performance venues, offering audiences proximity and atmosphere that larger theaters can’t replicate. With general admission priced at $10, the event provides rare access to choreography typically seen on major national stages.

For Coral Gables’ centennial year, the performance also highlights the city’s growing profile as a destination for serious arts programming—particularly works tied to Miami-born talent with international careers.

Tickets and additional details are available at sanctuaryofthearts.org.

Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff

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