Greater Miami & Miami Beach has a dance community that runs the gamut from its internationally known ballet company to contemporary, modern, flamenco and Caribbean collectives, as well as plenty of places where visitors can kick up their heels and take a dance class. Whether it’s seeing a lively dance performance or taking to the dance floor at a salsa studio, dance in Miami is as high-energy as the destination itself.

See The Pros In Action

MIAMI CITY BALLET

Miami City Ballet is celebrating 40 years with a season that highlights the key to its staying power. What makes MCB so exciting year after year is its ability to transcend every genre of the art form – from its dedication to the masterworks of George Balanchine to its reimagining of “The Nutcracker” every holiday season with a tropical flair, as well as presenting exciting world premieres by some of the most renowned international choreographers in dance today.

At its Miami Beach headquarters, MCB’s professional school is a training ground for dancers who come here from throughout the world. Most MCB performances take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Miami.

DANCE NOW! MIAMI

On the contemporary dance front, Dance NOW! Miami has been a staple of the destination’s dance community for more than 25 years. The innovative dance collective collaborates with other international companies from Portugal, Italy and Mexico, creating original works that can be seen on Miami stages and abroad.

Co-founders and artistic directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini have earned a worldwide reputation for their original choreography. Each year, the company produces the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler – a dance buffet featuring ballet, modern, flamenco and contemporary performed by companies that come to Miami from all over Florida.

PETER LONDON GLOBAL DANCE COMPANY

Trinidad and Tobago native Peter London founded Peter London Global Dance Company to create opportunities for dancers from all backgrounds. The company primarily performs London’s original choreography, which is steeped in rich multicultural heritage, as well as new works by Miami’s emerging dance voices. Many performances are held outdoors, at venues like the Miami Beach Botanical Garden and the Miami Beach Bandshell, offering a chance to commune with Miami’s tropical landscape.

KAREN PETERSON DANCERS

Karen Peterson is known far and wide as a pioneer in mixed-ability dance, inspiring companies to follow the path forged by her company, Karen Peterson Dancers. For three decades, the company has brought together dancers and choreographers with and without disabilities. She choreographs duets where one dancer is in a wheelchair and the other is not, in what can only be described as poetry in motion.

Her annual Forward Motion Festival showcases physically integrated dance companies from around the world, featuring performances, master classes and workshops.

BALLET FLAMENCO LA ROSA

Ilisa Rosal, artistic director of Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, creates flamenco with flair. The company is prolific in its presentation of flamenco – a combination of singing (cante), dance (baile) and instrumental music (toque).

With her roots in theater and dance, Rosal’s signature is adapting well-known literary works to flamenco. “En el Abismo” is inspired by Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” “Travesía” was born from Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day's Journey into Night,” “Verano y Humo” is based on “Summer and Smoke” by Tennessee Williams, and "El Conde Drácula" fuses flamenco and Bram Stoker’s famous work.

Performances take place at venues throughout Greater Miami & Miami Beach. Ballet Flamenco La Rosa also has a dance school that teaches music and theater.

SANCTUARY OF THE ARTS

Housed within the First Church of Christ Scientist in Coral Gables, the Sanctuary of the Arts is a haven for dance. Its choreographic ensemble training and audition program prepares dancers for professional careers with top companies. There’s a summer dance program for young dancers and adult dance classes for the community. All classes are held in the state-of-the-art dance rehearsal studio. Local and visiting professional dance companies also present work up close and personal in the intimate 314-seat sanctuary theater.

Latin dancers performing — Find your dance groove with salsa, bachata and more

Now It’s Your Turn

When in Rome… well, when in Miami, learn to dance and maybe make some new friends while you’re here.

DANCE ARTS MIAMI

Dance Arts Miami hosts weekly socials at its dance studio in Little Haiti. Show up solo – there are plenty in the group eager to learn salsa, too, so it’s easy to get paired up – or bring a dance partner, but no experience is needed to take part in the salsa dance lessons. There are also group and private lessons in bachata, a dance and music style originating from the Dominican Republic.

MIAMI BAILA DANCE STUDIO

One of the liveliest spots for salsa lessons is Miami Baila Dance Studio in Little Havana. The dance school is one of the only places to learn Casino Rueda. In this Cuban group dance, a caller gives commands for partner switches and synchronized moves, in a rhythmic combination of Afro-Cuban and salsa styles.

MID EAST PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY

Belly dancing in Miami? The Mid East Performing Arts Academy, at the main campus of Miami Dade College in Kendall, has been teaching belly dancing and other authentic Middle Eastern moves for almost three decades. The academy offers classes through the School of Education and Professional Development at Miami Dade College, but you don’t have to be enrolled at the school to learn how to shake your booty and your belly.

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