Since the second week in June, dancers from around the globe have been training at Sarasota Cuban Ballet’s annual summer intensive. Now, they’re gearing up for On Stage 2025, a showcase performance at the Sarasota Opera House on July 19.
Joining the summer intensive dancers this year are three headliners. Sarasota Cuban Ballet co-founder and instructor Ariel Serrano
“My son comes from Royal Ballet and dances with us in the big gala,” said Cuban Ballet co-founder and instructor Ariel Serrano. “I have some of the older ones that are in big companies … sharing the stage with the young dancers, giving them, ‘OK, look, I was like you here 10 years ago, and now I’m here. Keep working hard.' That enthusiasm and push.”
Serrano’s son is Francisco Serrano. He dances with the Royal Ballet in London. He was offered a scholarship to the Royal Ballet’s Upper School in 2014 after receiving a gold medal in pas de deux at the 2014 Youth American Grand Prix Finals in New York. He joined the Royal Ballet as an artist in 2017, was promoted to first artist in 2023, and soloist in 2024. Serrano will dance his first lead in a full-length ballet with the company at The Royal Opera House in October 2025 in Christopher Wheeldon’s “Like Water for Chocolate.”
Joining Serrano for On Stage 2025 is fellow Royal Ballet soloist Leticia Dias. From Brazil, Dias joined the Royal Ballet as an artist in 2016, was promoted to first artist in 2021, to soloist in 2022 and first soloist in 2024.
On Stage 2025 will also feature Isaac Muller from Boston Ballet. Mueller began his early dance training at the International Ballet School in Colorado, continued his studies at the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam, and later joined the Dutch National Ballet. He joined Boston Ballet as an artist of the company in 2023.
The performance begins at 6 p.m. on July 19.
MORE INFORMATION:
For more on Sarasota Cuban Ballet’s summer intensive, hear/read: “Dancers from around the world arriving next week for Sarasota Cuban Ballet’s prestigious Summer Intensive” (June 4, 2025).
The Sarasota Cuban Ballet is a premier destination for Cuban training in the United States. Its mission is to celebrate and sustain the cultural legacy of the Cuban ballet tradition, sharing its uniqueness through performance, education, and community outreach.
Now entering its 14th year, the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School is the only U.S. training center where Dr. Ramona de Saa, director and professor at the National Ballet School of Cuba, adapted the Cuban method ballet curriculum created by founder Fernando Alonso specifically for the Sarasota school.
In 2022 the Gulfcoast Studio Company was created to provide a bridge between the school and the performance side of the Sarasota Cuban Ballet. The Gulfcoast Studio Company has many facets — preparing strong and confident young dancers for professional careers and providing community education and outreach throughout the area — but performance opportunities are a major focus.
Dancers from the Sarasota Cuban Ballet have joined The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Houston Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Washington Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and many other national and international professional companies.
For more on Sarasota Cuban Ballet, hear/read “Sarasota Cuban Ballet reflects worldwide influences” (April 3, 2025).
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