Edward Villella On Building Miami Ballet

In 20 years, the company has become a major regional company. The troupe has grown from 19 dancers to 50, from a $1-million annual budget to $10million, and from a single base in Miami Beach to seasons in four metro-area counties. “Somebody has to do it, so I do,” he says. “I talk about the repertoire and I break down the abstractions, where these geniuses reduced things to their poetic essence.”