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Lourdes Lopez

Former Artistic Director
Miami City Ballet

As a dynamic Artistic and Executive Director with extensive experience leading a 150 person performing arts organization with a $25 million p.a. performing arts organization, she brings a unique blend of creative vision and operational expertise. Her leadership has been defined by elevating artistic programs, driving sustainable growth, and fostering meaningful connections with communities, donors and stakeholders. 

Lourdes Lopez is a transformative force in the arts, with a distinguished career spanning dance, television, arts education and management, and arts leadership. As Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet (MCB) since 2012, she has elevated the company into one of the top five ballet companies in the United States and among the world’s premier institutions with a core focus on the works of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Beyond Miami, Lopez is an influential voice in the arts sector. As a trustee of the Ford Foundation, she became the first artist ever appointed to its board, actively shaping national arts funding and policy. 

Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Lopez was personally selected by Balanchine to join New York City Ballet at age 16, where she danced under his direct tutelage alongside Jerome Robbins and later, Peter Martins. Her leadership is defined by a rare ability to bridge tradition and innovation—preserving ballet’s rich legacy while fostering artistic evolution. Under her tenure, MCB has expanded its reach and influence, becoming Florida’s largest cultural institution, with an annual audience exceeding 130,000 across four counties. As Chairman of the Miami City Ballet School, she oversees the training of over 900 students and adults year-round. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Key to the City of Miami Beach in 2016. She remains one of the most influential figures in dance today. 

Lopez is not only a cultural visionary but also a skilled arts executive with an extraordinary ability to articulate the value of dance and secure funding for ambitious programming. Each year, she has financed innovative initiatives that have strengthened MCB’s artistic profile and permanent repertoire—deepening the company’s ties to the Miami and South Florida community while maintaining financial sustainability. 

Her executive leadership extends beyond Miami. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Morphoses, a groundbreaking ballet company launched with renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Lopez pioneered a residency model across three cities, London, New York and Vail, ensuring financial viability while producing cutting-edge choreography. At MCB, she has commissioned works by the greatest living choreographers, championed young contemporary choreographers, and the first to license Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake giving this masterpiece its North American premiere in Miami with MCB. 

She is the only artistic leader ever entrusted by The George Balanchine Trust with reimagining any of his masterpieces (Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and Firebird). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lopez played a pivotal role in keeping MCB among the few U.S. ballet companies to continue live performances. She adapted Balanchine’s The Nutcracker into a multi-media outdoor production and curated an outdoor repertoire that transformed the city of Miami into a dynamic stage. 

Her work has earned her numerous accolades: the prestigious Dance Magazine Award for Outstanding Achievements in Dance Leadership, Jerome Robbins Award, José Limón Director’s Award for Excellence, Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor, the American Immigration Law Foundation Award, and Ballet Hispánico’s Toda una Vida Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, she was invited to join President Obama’s historic cultural delegation to Cuba, fostering artistic collaborations between the U.S. and Cuba. 

She has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Her contributions to arts journalism include her tenure as a cultural arts reporter for WNBC-TV in New York, where she produced segments on artists and arts education. 

As a leader, Lopez embodies the intersection of artistic excellence, strategic innovation, and financial acumen.

lourdes-lopez

Lourdes Lopez

Former Artistic Director
Miami City Ballet
lourdes-lopez

As a dynamic Artistic and Executive Director with extensive experience leading a 150 person performing arts organization with a $25 million p.a. performing arts organization, she brings a unique blend of creative vision and operational expertise. Her leadership has been defined by elevating artistic programs, driving sustainable growth, and fostering meaningful connections with communities, donors and stakeholders. 

Lourdes Lopez is a transformative force in the arts, with a distinguished career spanning dance, television, arts education and management, and arts leadership. As Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet (MCB) since 2012, she has elevated the company into one of the top five ballet companies in the United States and among the world’s premier institutions with a core focus on the works of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Beyond Miami, Lopez is an influential voice in the arts sector. As a trustee of the Ford Foundation, she became the first artist ever appointed to its board, actively shaping national arts funding and policy. 

Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Lopez was personally selected by Balanchine to join New York City Ballet at age 16, where she danced under his direct tutelage alongside Jerome Robbins and later, Peter Martins. Her leadership is defined by a rare ability to bridge tradition and innovation—preserving ballet’s rich legacy while fostering artistic evolution. Under her tenure, MCB has expanded its reach and influence, becoming Florida’s largest cultural institution, with an annual audience exceeding 130,000 across four counties. As Chairman of the Miami City Ballet School, she oversees the training of over 900 students and adults year-round. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Key to the City of Miami Beach in 2016. She remains one of the most influential figures in dance today. 

Lopez is not only a cultural visionary but also a skilled arts executive with an extraordinary ability to articulate the value of dance and secure funding for ambitious programming. Each year, she has financed innovative initiatives that have strengthened MCB’s artistic profile and permanent repertoire—deepening the company’s ties to the Miami and South Florida community while maintaining financial sustainability. 

Her executive leadership extends beyond Miami. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Morphoses, a groundbreaking ballet company launched with renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Lopez pioneered a residency model across three cities, London, New York and Vail, ensuring financial viability while producing cutting-edge choreography. At MCB, she has commissioned works by the greatest living choreographers, championed young contemporary choreographers, and the first to license Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake giving this masterpiece its North American premiere in Miami with MCB. 

She is the only artistic leader ever entrusted by The George Balanchine Trust with reimagining any of his masterpieces (Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and Firebird). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lopez played a pivotal role in keeping MCB among the few U.S. ballet companies to continue live performances. She adapted Balanchine’s The Nutcracker into a multi-media outdoor production and curated an outdoor repertoire that transformed the city of Miami into a dynamic stage. 

Her work has earned her numerous accolades: the prestigious Dance Magazine Award for Outstanding Achievements in Dance Leadership, Jerome Robbins Award, José Limón Director’s Award for Excellence, Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor, the American Immigration Law Foundation Award, and Ballet Hispánico’s Toda una Vida Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, she was invited to join President Obama’s historic cultural delegation to Cuba, fostering artistic collaborations between the U.S. and Cuba. 

She has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Her contributions to arts journalism include her tenure as a cultural arts reporter for WNBC-TV in New York, where she produced segments on artists and arts education. 

As a leader, Lopez embodies the intersection of artistic excellence, strategic innovation, and financial acumen.