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Absinthe House Cinematheque
This art house is a blend of old-fashioned and mod - it has only one screen for independent and foreign films, but a cool lounge serving as an atmospheric snack bar.
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Actors' Playhouse
Housed within the 1948 deco Miracle Theater, this three-theater venue stages well-known musicals and comedies, children's theater on its kids stage and more avant-garde productions in its small experimental black-box space. Recent productions have included Footloose and The Wizard of Oz for the little ones.
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Ballet Gamonet
Founded by former Miami City Ballet dancers in 1997, this contemporary ballet troupe holds unique world premieres, often using hip musical scores written by the likes of Stuart Copeland, U2 and Dave Brubeck. Check the website or call for a performance schedule.
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Bill Cosford Cinema
On the University of Miami campus, this renovated art house was launched in memory of the Miami Herald film critic. They do him justice, too, with a great lineup of first-run indie and foreign movies, plus presentations from visiting filmmakers.
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Black Door Dance Ensemble
Established by the Miami-Dade Community College dance department director, Karen Stewart, Miami's premiere African-American dance company performs modern, neoclassical ballet, traditional African pieces and Afro-Caribbean works at various city venues, usually the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Rd.
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Brazarte Dance Company
The first Brazilian dance company in Florida is based in Coral Gables, and presents lavish, Carmen-Mirandaesque shows of Brazilian dance in many styles - folkloric, capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian dance that incorporates self-defense moves), lambada and samba. Call for show schedules and venues.
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Chopin Foundation Of The United States
This national organization hosts a treasure trove of performances for Chopin fans - the Chopin Festival, a series of free monthly concerts and the less frequent National Chopin Piano Competition, an international contest held in Miami every five years (next scheduled for 2010).
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Coconut Grove Playhouse
This lovely state-owned theater, anchoring the Grove since 1956, gained fame via the American premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (which audiences and critics generally rejected out of hand as opaque and confusing). Although it was closed during research due to debt issues, it is set to reopen by the time you read this, and will hopefully continue to showcase some of Miami's best theater.
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Colony Theater
A stunning deco showpiece, this small 1934 performing arts center has 465 seats with great acoustics. It's a treasure that hosts everything from movies and musicals to theatrical dramas, ballet and off-Broadway productions.
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Concert Association Of Florida
Founded in 1967, this nonprofit association is run by dedicated folks who bring world-class music (and occasional dance) to various venues in Miami, particularly to the Arsht Center. Past events have included the Boston Pops symphony, Itzhak Perlman, a Flamenco Festival, the Deutsche Philharmonie and Luciano Pavarotti on the beach.
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Edge Theater
The Edge stays true to its name (and Design District locale) by putting on consistently contemporary, artfully imagined productions on a small stage that feels like a makeshift living room filled with props.
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Fillmore Miami Beach At The Jackie Gleason Theater
Built in 1951, the Miami Beach's premiere showcase for touring Broadway shows, orchestras and other big musical productions has 2700 seats and excellent acoustics. Jackie Gleason chose to make the theater his home for the long-running 1960s TV show, but now you'll find an eclectic lineup of shows - Elvis Costello or Albita one night, the Dutch Philharmonic or over-the-top musicals the next.
Read more about Fillmore Miami Beach At The Jackie Gleason Theater
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Gablestage
Founded as the Florida Shakespeare Theatre in 1979 and now housed on the property of the Biltmore Hotel after several moves, this company still performs an occasional Shakespeare play, but mostly presents contemporary and classical pieces; recent productions have included Frozen, Bug and The Retreat From Moscow.
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Ifé-Ilé Afro-Cuban Dance
A nonprofit organization, Ifé-Ilé promotes cultural understanding through dance, and performs in a range of styles - traditional Afro-Cuban, mambo, rumba, conga, chancleta (a Latin dance in which rhythms are amplified by the dancers' wooden shoes), son, salsa and ritual pieces. Live musical accompaniment comes courtesy of bongos, piano, timbales and trumpets. Please call or visit the website for performance schedule and venues.
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Imax
This virtual-reality screen, which is way larger than real life, comes with surround sound shows and dramatic, sometimes educational footage that takes advantage of its size; also catch fun stuff best viewed through 3-D glasses.
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Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts
Better known as the Jackie Gleason Theater, this newly renovated, light-blue deco beauty is a wonderful venue for traveling Broadway shows and concerts. Be sure to take a gander at Roy Lichtenstein's Mermaid sculpture, gracing the front lawn
Read more about Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts
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Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
This University of Miami troupe stages musicals, dramas and comedies, with recent productions including Falsettos and Baby. Alumni actors include Sylvester Stallone, Steven Bauer, Saundra Santiago and Ray Liotta.
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La Rosa Flamenco Theatre
This professional flamenco, salsa and merengue dance company blends flamenco styles with tap, Middle Eastern and Indian movement, and also offers a full range of classes and educational programs.
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Light Box Theatre & Miami Light Project
The Miami Light Project is a nonprofit cultural foundation that represents innovative shows from theater troupes and performance artists from around the world; recent shows have included Rha Goddes, Global Cuban Fest and Kristina Wong.
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Lincoln Theatre
Miami Beach's theatrical jewel, an intimate house with great acoustics and a perfect location, hosts a wide variety of performances from local groups to visiting artists. It's also the home of the New World Symphony.
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Miami Beach Cinematheque
This new addition to the film scene is a great one, as it features a wonderfully curated program of smart documentaries, kitschy classics, holiday-timed screeners, speaking events and film-themed art exhibits. A recent sampling of eclectic programs includes a Russ Meyer tribute, Italian shorts, dance films and Judaica on film.
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Miami City Ballet
Formed in 1985, this troupe is guided by artistic director Edward Villella, who studied under the great George Balanchine at the NYC Ballet. So it's no surprise Balanchine works dominate the repertoire, with shows held at a lovely three-story headquarters designed by the famed local architectural firm Arquitectonica. The facade allows passersby to watch the dancers rehearsing through big picture windows, which kinda makes you feel like you're in a scene from Fame , except the weather is better and people don't spontaneously break into song. Which is a shame, really.
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Miami Hispanic Ballet
Directed by Cuban-trained Pedro Pablo Peña, this troupe presents mainly classical ballets based out of the lovely Manuel Artime Theater, the 'largest, small venue' in the city.
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Momentum Dance Company
Performing original, modern dance programs at rotating venues for more than 25 years, this small troupe has a focus on education and children's performances.
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New Theatre
This strong Coral Gables company performs an eclectic mix of contemporary pieces and modern classics that fall squarely between the conventional and alternative. You'll be up close and personal with the actors since there are only 70 seats in the house.
