By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Dance rarely leans into winter in South Florida. The climate resists it. The light contradicts it. Yet on Friday, Dec. 19, Dance NOW! Miami invites audiences to step into a colder, sharper emotional landscape with Winter’s Breath, a one-night-only program at Sanctuary of the Arts that blends contemporary ballet, modern dance lineage, and guest artistry from New York.

The evening centers on Winter’s Breath, the company’s signature ballet created in 2015 by co-artistic directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini. Set to Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as reimagined by composer Max Richter, the work uses sweeping movement and musical restraint to evoke stillness, tension, and latent energy. Richter’s reinterpretation pares Vivaldi down to its emotional architecture, and Dance NOW! Miami mirrors that approach through choreography that favors clarity, breath, and momentum over ornament.

Bridging ballet and modern dance

That balance between tradition and reinvention has become a defining trait of Dance NOW! Miami. Founded to bridge classical ballet and modern dance, the company positions itself between forms rather than inside them. Winter’s Breath reflects that identity, combining extended lines with grounded weight and propulsion.

Rather than illustrating cold, the ballet inhabits it. Silence, spacing, and collective breath create a sensory experience that contrasts sharply with the tropical environment outside the theater doors. The result is a deliberate tension between setting and performance that gives the work its distinctive resonance.

A conversation with dance history

The program expands beyond Winter’s Breath to include works that reflect Dance NOW! Miami’s historical curiosity and repertory depth. Among them is Ave Maria, a work by modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan created in the early 20th century. Its inclusion places the company in direct dialogue with the roots of modern dance, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience a foundational work alongside contemporary creations in the same evening.

Also on the program are selections familiar to longtime audiences, including Point of Departure and the love duet from Havisham!, works that showcase the company’s narrative instincts and emotional range. Together, they underscore Dance NOW! Miami’s commitment to continuity and repertory stewardship rather than constant reinvention.

A Big Apple guest with physical power

Adding a significant dimension to the evening is the appearance of the Jon Lehrer Dance Company, visiting from New York. Known for its dynamic, athletic modern dance style, the company brings a contrasting kinetic energy to the stage.

Their featured work, Here in Eden, is a bold duet performed by Ricardo G. Barret and Cristiana Cavallo. The piece emphasizes strength, trust, and tension between bodies, aligning naturally with the evening’s broader exploration of connection and endurance. The collaboration reflects Dance NOW! Miami’s ongoing practice of inviting national voices into artistic conversation rather than competition.

Returning artists and new work

The program also features a special guest appearance by former Dance NOW! Miami dancer and rehearsal director Jenny Hegarty, who will perform the solo There I am, Here, reinforcing the company’s sense of lineage and continuity.

In addition to repertory works, the evening introduces new material. Salterini’s Deco-de, set to George Gershwin’s Lullaby, draws inspiration from Art Deco design and Jungian psychological archetypes, linking Coral Gables’ architectural identity to interior emotional structures. Baumgarten will present a preview of 1933, a cabaret-inspired work examining the rise of Adolf Hitler, signaling the company’s continued engagement with historical themes through movement rather than narrative exposition.

A seasonal program without holiday embellishments

While the performance arrives during the holiday season, Winter’s Breath avoids nostalgia and spectacle. Instead, it offers contrast, restraint, and reflection. Presented at Sanctuary of the Arts, an intimate venue at 410 Andalusia Ave., the program allows audiences to experience contemporary dance at close range, heightening its emotional impact.

For viewers seeking a holiday arts experience grounded in substance rather than decoration, Dance NOW! Miami’s Winter’s Breath offers a compelling alternative — one that briefly replaces South Florida warmth with a colder, more contemplative emotional climate shaped by music, movement, and memory.

Event details

Dance NOW! Miami: Winter’s Breath
Friday, Dec. 19 @8:30 p.m.
Sanctuary of the Arts
410 Andalusia Ave., Coral Gables
Tickets range from approximately $18–$28 and are available online.