Each September more than 11,000 dancers, critics, and fans, gather for 17 days of events in the International Ballet Festival of Miami. In the past 13 years, founder and artistic director Pedro Pablo Peña has created what is billed as “the most successful ballet event in the United States” in a city not known for its artistic endeavors. He spoke with us about his vision for the festival, its future, and importance to Miami and the ballet community.
What is your primary goal for the festival?
This year it's the same as every year, which is to continue with this festival so that people know the importance of dance in the world. The principal function is for people to know what the new dances are, who are the new stars, and what the new style for the different ballets is going to be for the upcoming season. This is the only dance festival in the classical style in the city. It’s the only opportunity during the year for the audience to see the dancers, choreography, companies, styles, and the techniques.
What is your biggest challenge for this event?
The hardest part is the logistics of getting all the dancers—and the people coming with them—to the festival from around the world organized and settled in their hotels. When the dancers come for the two principal gala performances, it’s important to pay attention to them so that they want to go back to their country and say they received our complete attention at the Miami festival, which increases our reputation in the world. It's most difficult for us because the festival has grown and I want more staff but don’t have a sufficient one yet for this festival.
How will you measure its success?
When my theater is full and the people are enthusiastic to see what the new dances are this year, like Don Quixote and Swan Lake, and who's making the important ballets for the [upcoming season’s] repertoire, then I’ll know it was a success.
Why is this event important to the ballet community and the city?
Before the festival, people in Miami didn’t know as much about ballet and how important ballet is in the world. People said I was crazy when I started this festival in Miami, and I responded with, "Why not?" Now it’s the most successful ballet festival in the United States.
In regard to the city, everyone says Miami is a city of concrete, and it’s not true. For my work and for other artists, we think Miami is a cultural city also. It’s really a matter of pushing more to continue offering [these events] so people are enthusiastic about the arts and have more access to it.
How has the economy affected the festival?
Because of the economy, I don’t know if people have the ability to take their money to go to the performances. I’m not sure now what will happen with attendance, but I have lost two or three sponsors this year. Recently Miami-Dade County proposed to cut every arts budget, totaling $11 million. I get money from the county to put on this festival, so this is really terrible for me and the arts as a whole. The commissioners say it's necessary, but I have no idea what will happen to us next year.
Which partnerships are most valuable to the festival’s success?
I have a good relationship with the directors and companies in Italy and Germany and other companies around the world, which are important to maintaining the high level of [talent at] the festival. I know what happens in the ballet and to the dancers around the world.
My relationship with the international media, like Ballet 2000 magazine, is also important because they cover the festival every year and go out to readers in Italy, France, and the U.S. The ballet festival is an international point [of interest] to the critics around the world that come each year and then go home to write and talk about what happened.
What have you learned from working on the festival during the past 13 years?
Each year I'm learning how to build on what I’ve done before to get to what I envision this being in the future, with more to offer and reaching more people. My future idea in one or two years, depending on the funds and budget, is give to Miami the festival in the American Airlines Arena for 20,000 people with tickets for only $15. If you can give [ballet] to everyone, they may come to see what the festival is all about. The ballet is not [traditionally] for the masses, but it’s important to [offer] it to the masses.
