Contemporary Ballet | Guest Choreographer
June 22 – June 29
Durante Verzola, a Filipino-American dance maker, has choreographed works for the Miami City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet II, Ballet Arizona’s Studio Company, Collage Dance Collective, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, School of Pennsylvania Ballet, and Ballet22, among others. Durante is a winner of Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works and has been selected for the New York Choreographic Institute, where he choreographed on dancers of the New York City Ballet. His work has been featured at Guggenheim’s Works & Process, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, Florida in collaboration with Angela Lyn, and the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. He has led Miami City Ballet School’s Choreographic Intensive since its inception.
Durante’s work has been described as “sharp and witty…so vibrant it is almost like a celebration of classicism and vitality with non-derivative balletic language…he continues to present classical ballet vocabulary in thrilling ways,” by Philadelphia Dance. Explore Dance has praised him saying, “For a 20-something year old choreographer, Verzola startled with his inventiveness via straightforward balletics. This piece is challenged with silky troupe configurations, unfussy classical artistry, and the fluency of phrase variations.”
Durante is from Lansing, Kansas, and most recently was a dancer with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. He began his training with Marisa Paull, before receiving his formal ballet training from the Kansas City Ballet School and Kansas School of Classical Ballet. At the age of 16, Durante left home to train with the Miami City Ballet School on full scholarship and supplemented his training by attending summer intensives at institutions such as the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. In 2014, he was invited to join Pennsylvania Ballet II, before joining The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in 2016. His repertoire includes works by Balanchine, Robbins, Wheeldon, Keigwin, and Petipa.
Currently, Durante is a full time faculty member and resident choreographer for Miami City Ballet School. For more information, please visit verzolaballet.com.
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