Miami City Ballet Premieres Jerome Robbins’s Opus Jazz with First Authorized Costume Redesign by GapStudio’s Zac Posen
On October 16, Miami City Ballet will debut Jerome Robbins’s N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz as part of the American Rhythms program, marking the inaugural season of artistic director Gonzalo Garcia. This performance will showcase the first official redesign of the original costumes since 1958, crafted by Zac Posen for GapStudio. Sixteen dancers will don unique outfits made from GapStudio’s Infinity Stretch denim, inspired by Matisse’s vibrant colors and the warmth of Miami. The redesign was authorized by Jean-Pierre Frohlich, who requested a streetwear aesthetic. Garcia has scheduled Opus Jazz to follow Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante. A visual campaign, directed by Ezra Hurwitz, was filmed in Miami. The ballet, originally created in 1958, quickly gained popularity, featuring on Broadway and the Ed Sullivan Show.
Key facts
- Miami City Ballet will perform Jerome Robbins’s N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz for the first time on October 16.
- The production is part of American Rhythms, the opening program of artistic director Gonzalo Garcia’s first fully programmed season.
- Zac Posen of GapStudio designed the first authorized redesign of the ballet’s original costumes since its 1958 premiere.
- The cast of 16 dancers will wear individual streetwear looks, including denim, hoodies, button-downs, relaxed trousers, and T-shirts.
- GapStudio’s Infinity Stretch denim allows for the choreography’s lunges, jumps, and deep bends.
- Jean-Pierre Frohlich, repertory director at New York City Ballet, authorized the redesign and requested streetwear.
- Ezra Hurwitz directed a two-minute visual campaign shot in Miami with MCB dancers in Posen’s costumes.
- The ballet was originally created for Ballets: U.S.A. in 1958 after Gian Carlo Menotti invited Robbins to the inaugural Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.
Entities
Artists
- Jerome Robbins
- Zac Posen
- Gonzalo Garcia
- Jean-Pierre Frohlich
- George Balanchine
- Ezra Hurwitz
- Isabella DeVivo
- Macarena Gimenez
- Chase Swatosh
- Cameron Catazaro
- Brandon Stirling Baker
- Ellen Bar
- Sean Suozzi
- Robert Prince
- Gian Carlo Menotti
- Eliot Feld
- Sondra Lee
- Harrison Ball
- Matisse
Institutions
- Miami City Ballet
- GapStudio
- New York City Ballet
- San Francisco Ballet
- Ballets: U.S.A.
- Festival of Two Worlds
- Brussels World’s Fair
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Art Institute of Chicago
Locations
- Miami
- United States
- New York
- Spoleto
- Italy
- Florence
- Trieste
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Chicago