Florida Gulfshore Ballet

When Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero joined Miami City Ballet as principal dancers in 1967, there wasn’t much support for ballet in South Florida. They found an almost identical situation when they joined Gulfshore Ballet as teachers in 2011. Fast forward 15 years and Gulfshore Ballet is on the brink of establishing a full-time professional ballet company to complement its ballet school.

The costumes are stunning, the choreography is breathtaking and the flamenco-inspired movement, castanets and fans add depth to the staging.

Gulfshore Ballet performs “Don Quixote” on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Wang Opera Center. It’s the ballet company’s third consecutive appearance at Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars.

Three months ago, ballerina Skylar Frye found herself at a crossroads. After studying ballet from age 8, and 10-hour days and performances every night for weeks at a time during her four years at the University of Arizona, she was tired. But Gulfshore Ballet has helped rekindle her passion with its invitation to dance Dew Drop, Snow and Arabian in 'The Nutcracker' ballet.

Gulfshore Ballet has cast alumna Anna McKinney in role of Sugar Plum Fairy in 'The Nutcracker.' It almost didn't happen.

This holiday season, eight ballet companies are performing “The Nutcracker” 27 times across Southwest Florida. Gulfshore Ballet in Fort Myers will be responsible for four of those performances. While the story is the same, the choreography will be different this year because three former students will be dancing the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop, Marzipan and the Christmas Fairy.

This year, there are 27 performances of this holiday favorite by eight ballet companies and three symphony orchestras.

Universal Ballet is one of the top competitions in the United States for ballet students. In April, Gulfshore Ballet’s dynamic duo, Kayla Rathur and Madelena Urban, took second place for their Kitris’ friends variation duo. Rathur was also top 9 out of 700 competitors in the solo division.

One of Southwest Florida’s premier ballet companies is back with a charming, comedic masterpiece about an eccentric toymaker and the beautiful life size doll he creates. On May 3rd, Gulfshore Ballet will perform “Coppélia,” in which that doll comes to life, enchanting an entire European town during its Festival of Bells. Artistic Director Iliana Lopez explains why Gulfshore Ballet decided to produce this ballet for the very first time.

When Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero joined Gulfshore Ballet 12 years ago, they envisioned the day they’d be able to establish a professional ballet company. That day came last year, and the results will be on display when Gulfshore Ballet performs Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” ballet at the Wang Opera Center on Saturday.