Category: Press Release

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Concert No 01

Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy Presented

Concert No 01, Choreographed/Staged by Laura Torres

Concert Nº 01 celebrates Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy’s 3rd anniversary and the achievements of all its students. The pre-professional division will delight the audience with their most successful classical variations and contemporary solos of the season to finish with the Grand Pas de Quatre, which will be the center pièce d’occasion chosen by Orlando MET’s Artistic Director Laura Torres for this concert.

The Grand Pas de Quatre is a ballet-divertissement, a “Fun Ballet.” Most ballets of the romantic period had dramatic stories. In this case, back in 1845, the Director of Her Majesty’s Theater in London commissioned Jules Perrot to choreograph (music by Cesare Pugni) a short ballet to celebrate one of the theater’s galas in London. Little did they know the ballet was going to become a success and that Gala was going to be remembered as the first Gala of the Stars in ballet history.

Orlando Met presented two shows, the first one at 5:30 p.m. and the second show was at 8:00 p.m. In the first one, the younger students (3 to 10 years of age) had the opportunity to dance short choreographies that showcased their knowledge and technique acquired so far.

House Programme of the Show

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YAGP Tampa and Boston 2021

Nicole Bustamante and Laura Torres at the YAGP Finals

Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy had a very successful season this 2021.

Season started at YAGP Tampa, FL. In January at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts of Tampa, our coach Laura Torres prepared four of the pre-professional program students to compete in the Junior (ages 12-14) and Senior (ages 15 -17) categories.

The chosen students were Madison Taberham, Nicole Bustamante, Camila Moya and Michelle Cordero.

All of them competed in the classical and contemporary category as soloists, they also competed together in the ensemble category with a piece choreographed by Amyia Burrel and coached by Laura Torres called The strength my mother gave me.

Results of YAGP Tampa 2021

Madison Taberham placed top 24 in the classical senior category as soloist, she danced Flora from The awakening of Flora. Madison also received an invitation to the YAGP Finals, which is an only-by-invitation event that gathers about 120 dancers, from all the US and international semi-finals, in each age division. The YAGP Finalists are the top ballet students in the world, every year about 12,000 competitors go the different semi-finals in all over the world, only 600, of all the ages, make it to the Finals, about 150 are in each age division.

Also at the Tampa semi-final Orlando Met’s students won 3rd place in the ensemble category.

YAGP Boston Semi-Finals 2021

After a successful result in Tampa, Orlando Met’s faculty decided to attend the semi-final in Boston.

  • Nicole Bustamante won 2nd Place in the Junior Division Classical Category and Top 12 in the Contemporary Category.
  • Camila Moya won Top 24 also in the Junior Division of the Classical Category
  • Madison Taberham won 1st Place of the Senior Division of the Classical Category and Top 12 in the Contemporary Category.

From YAGP Boston 2021 – Madison Taberham

From YAGP Boston 2021
From YAGP Tampa 2021

Nicole, Camila, and Madison competed in the ensemble category with a classical ensemble from La Bayadera, the beautiful Pas de Trois of the Kingdom of the Shades. They won Top 12 in the ensemble Category and received and invitation to YAGP Finals.

YAGP Boston Winners 

YAGP Tampa Winners

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Sleeping Beauty 2020

Orlando Metropolitan Presented

The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, directed by Laura Torres

OMBA presented its first full-length ballet of the world’s classical repertoire, on December 20th, 2020 Orlando MET’s Sleeping Beauty Ballet premiered, it is a ballet in three acts and a prologue. Our version was staged by no other than our Laura Torres with choreographies adapted to the technical levels of all OMBA Students.

Orlando Met worked with the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to find a way to bring this production to reality in the middle of the pandemic, DPCPA did a wonderful job at preparing the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater for receiving the community in a safe way and following the guidelines from the CDC.

The sets, costumes, and lighting were designed by Laura Torres, manufacture by local artists and seamstresses, and magically managed by Dr. Phillips Center for the performing Arts’ stage crew.

Aurora was interpreted by Nicole Bustamante and Camila Moya at 2:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m. respectively. Prince Désiré was incredibly characterized by Luciano Perotto in both shows.

Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy would like to give a special thanks and mention to United Arts of Central Florida

We will let the pictures speak for us to describe the show.

  • Orlando MET’s Sleeping Beauty: Prologue
  • Orlando MET’s Sleeping Beauty: Act I
  • Orlando MET’s Sleeping Beauty: Act III
  • Orlando MET’s Sleeping Beauty: Aurora’s Wedding Pas de Deux

House Programme of the Show

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Youth America Grand Prix – Atlanta 2020

The Youth America Grand Prix is the largest ballet competition in the world, Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy was pleased to attend for the first time this competition in the Atlanta, GA semi-final.

YAGP – Atlanta semi-final 2020 took place at the Georgia Institute of Technology Ferst Center for the Arts, 22 dance academies or schools participated from all over America, 351 students in total; 21 dancers in the Pre-competitive category (9-11 years old), 146 in the Junior (12-14) and 184 in the Senior category (15-17)

Teacher Laura Torres prepared two of our students for this competition, Nicole Bustamante 13, and Camila Moya 12. Nicole danced Kitri Act III variation and Camila Flames of Paris, they both did a great job, first time competing ever, and first time at YAGP for our Academy.

Nicole Bustamante placed top 24 (out of 146) which is recognized as a winner for YAGP, they usually award the top 12 certificates, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place but on certain occasions, based on the quality of the dancer in a category, they may also award the Top 24 Certificate, which happened this time.

Nicole Bustamante

We are proud of you Nicole, keep the hard work.

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Universal Ballet Competition – Atlanta 2019

9th Place Overall

Madison Taberham, 13, placed 9th at the Universal Ballet Competition in Atlanta, GA.

The competition took place at the Rialto Center for the arts, from March 15-17, where more than 160 classical ballet students competed in the Competitive Level – Junior Division, which is the level for dancers that have been studying ballet for more than 4 years and age is between 12 and 14.

Madison, coached by our teacher Laura Torres, danced Talisman’s Variation.

See the results at UBC site

https://www.universalballetcompetition.com/results/11