Miami City Ballet School — Dance School in Miami Beach, Miami

How Miami City Ballet School comes across

Miami City Ballet School comes across as the official training arm of a major professional company, and it lets that proximity do the talking. Its public materials orbit the company itself — "its international, 51-member company" and a 30th-anniversary "Why We Dance" project in which dancers describe ballet as "so hard… we're constantly pushing ourselves" — language that signals a serious, high-discipline environment rather than recreational dance. The school's profile is reinforced by visible pre-professional markers: a multi-city audition tour screening dancers by age bracket from 12 through 18, and six MCB School students featured in Teen Vogue's web series "Strictly Ballet," filmed at the MCB Studios in Miami Beach. The impression is of an elite, audition-driven academy attached directly to a ranked company — a destination for the genuinely committed young dancer aiming at a professional path, where the appeal is access to company-level standards and stages rather than gentle introduction.

An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.

About the school

Miami City Ballet School is the official school of Miami City Ballet, founded in 1985 by Edward Villella, a New York City Ballet principal dancer and Balanchine protégé. The School operates from the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, a 63,000 square foot facility at the corner of Liberty Avenue and 22nd Street in Miami Beach, across Collins Park from the Bass Museum. The Roca Center was designed by Arquitectonica and inaugurated in 2001. The facility houses eight spacious, sunlit studios with sprung floors, with two studios converting into the 200-seat Lynn & Louis Wolfson, II Theater for company performances. Programming runs from Children's Division through Pre-Professional and adult open classes.

At a glance

Address: Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, 2200 Liberty Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Suburb: Miami Beach
City: Miami
State: Florida
Age range: 3+ years
Disciplines: Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Contemporary
Approach: Both
Price band: Premium

What stands out

i.Official school of Miami City Ballet (founded 1985 by Edward Villella, Balanchine protégé)
ii.63,000 sqft Roca Center, Arquitectonica-designed, inaugurated 2001
iii.Eight sprung-floor studios plus 200-seat Wolfson Theater

Teachers listed on the school's site

As at 12 June 2026.

Gonzalo Garcia — MCB Artistic Director
Arantxa Ochoa — School Artistic Director
Cameron Basden — School Managing Director
Durante Verzola — School Resident Choreographer
Alexander Iziliaev — Principal Faculty
Katia Carranza — Principal Faculty
Maribel Modrono — Children Répétiteur
Michaela Mann — Assistant Children Répétiteur
Ana Arledge — Permanent Faculty
Kareen Pauld Camargo — Permanent Faculty
Claudia Kuwana — Permanent Faculty
Rosa Mercedes — Permanent Faculty
Herman Payne — Permanent Faculty
Renato Penteado — Permanent Faculty
Africa Ramirez — Permanent Faculty
Rilanty Septiantari — Permanent Faculty
Chase Swatosh — Permanent Faculty
Leslie Young — Permanent Faculty
Alex Peters — Guest Faculty
Marianela Castro — Pianist
Juvenal Correa-Salas — Pianist
Gladys Fariñas — Pianist
Vivian Gonzalez — Pianist
Yraima Menendez — Pianist
Teresa Valdivia Egusquiza — Pianist

Sourced from the school's Faculty & Administration page (miamicityballet.org/school/school-information/mcbs-faculty). Teachers can request removal or correction via the listing-edit form below.