Meet Durante Verzola | Choreographer & Ballet Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Durante Verzola and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Durante, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was always a creative child, and luckily I received a lot of support to help me realize my dreams. As a kid, I was constantly putting on and directing “shows” with my five younger siblings. Early on, I fell in love with the art of classical ballet and its expressive power. When I found out you could make a career out of it, I focused in pretty intensely to make it happen. I moved to Miami when I was 16, without my family, to train at the Miami City Ballet School. While I was in my final year of the school, I had an opportunity to choreograph a ballet for a student choreography show. Lourdes Lopez, the director of Miami City Ballet, the professional company that the Miami City Ballet School feeds into, saw it and put it in the end of the year school show. Being recognized for my choreographic talent showed me that I could also go down that avenue if I ever decided to fully focus on that. Upon graduation, I started dancing professionally at ballet companies across the United States. Throughout this time, I held on to my separate passion for choreography. While I was dancing, I started receiving commissions to create new works as a choreographer. About 6 years ago, I decided to stop my dancing career and focus fully on my teaching and choreographic career. Since, I’ve recognized as a choreographer nationally, and have created works for Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, and more, with residences from the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, performances at the Guggenheim Museum, and won some choreographic competitions. Two years ago, Miami City Ballet School invited me to become a full time faculty member and resident choreographer back at the school I graduated from. I’ve been in Miami ever since! In addition to this, I travel the country setting new works on ballet companies, schools, and universities.

I decided to pursue a creative career because I feel I was meant to do this. I express my life, my feelings, and my emotions through my work. Not only is creating new ballets an outlet for me to be expressive, but I am also able to uplift and empower the dancers I get to work with. I love helping them find themselves through dance and its connection with music. The arts are imperative to culture and society to reflect the world we live in, but to also change peoples’ lives and allow them to feel and relate. They bring people together, and that is such a special thing to be a part of.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a choreographer and ballet teacher at Miami City Ballet and Miami City Ballet School. I work everyday to train the next generation of classical ballet dancers and also create new ballets to represent our world today.

Getting here was a lot of work, and the work never stops. I trained from the age of 8 in dance classes. From the age of 14 on, I trained 6 days a week. By 18, I was working professionally in a ballet company, getting paid for what I love to do. Ballet consumes your entire life, and the work doesn’t stop when you leave the studio. Your body and your spirit are your instruments, so you have to constantly care for and fine tune both.

As a choreographer and teacher, your work also never stops. Even when you’re not in the studio working with dancers, your mind is constantly working. You must be fully invested in putting all of your energy into the work in order to create the art.

You must make many sacrifices to make this life happen. You don’t always get to do the “normal-person” things that everyone else does. I’ve learned how to be dedicated, focused, and committed through my life in dance.

I want the world to know how transformative and transportive ballet can me. You can feel every emotion through watching and appreciating dance.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start in the morning at Las Olas Cafe in South Beach for empanadas and cafecito or Puerto Sagua Restaurant for a bacon, egg, and cheese on Cuban bread for breakfast–which are both in my neighborhood. We would hit the beach for sun and the renewing power of the ocean afterwards. Throughout the week, we’d need a bike ride along the beach path by Ocean Drive, a visit to the Perez Museum of Art or the Bass Museum, a performance of the Miami City Ballet. I love live music at Lagniappe or a jazz evening at Medium Cool. For shopping, thrifting at Red, White, and Blue in Hialeah, or a curated vintage experience at Habitat Hyett. Dinners at Call Me Gabby, Tigre, Chotto Mate, Yardbird, and Moshi Moshi. Happy hours at Sushi Garage and Minibar. Brunches are always fun at Ice Box in Sunset Harbor. Afterwards, we could catch a drag show at Palace and hang out on the rooftop pool afterwards. For a fun night out, I’d hit up Twist, Kill Your Idol, or Ball and Chain. For a relaxing evening walk, I love to walk down the tree lined portion of Meridian near Flamingo Park. Miami has so much to offer!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Arantxa Ochoa, the director of the Miami City Ballet School, has made a huge impact on my life. She first saw me when I was a student at the Miami City Ballet School. At the time, she was directing the School of Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, PA. She came to Miami to audition students here to bring to Philly. She saw me and offered me a scholarship to come for the summer. By the end of the summer, I had my first professional job as a ballet dancer.

When Arantxa came to take over the Miami City Ballet School in 2016, she immediately brought me down as a guest to Miami to choreograph a new ballet for the school. She continued to bring me every single year before offering me a full time position in 2022.

Arantxa always recognized my artistry and my talents, both as a dancer and choreographer. She has continued to put trust and faith in me. She not only cares about me as an artist, but she also cares about me as a person. She has made such an impact on my life, and has allowed me to grow and develop over the years.

Website: verzolaballet.com

Instagram: verzolaballet

Image Credits
Headshot: David Kerschner Where I am pointing and two dancers are out of focus: Joel Thomas All other studio photos by: Alexander Iziliaev