MIAMI – The Miami HEAT has teamed up with the Miami City Ballet to celebrate 25 years of basketball and ballet. On Sunday, February 10th, the team will welcome Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers, sisters and Miami natives Jeanette and Patricia Delgado, who will be present for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. HEAT game, and who will participate in various in-game activities.
Earlier this season, the two dancers were paired with HEAT superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in a series of unique photos that showcase the world class athleticism of icons from both sports and dance. The artistic photos, which feature the dancers in various ballet poses interacting with the players, underscore the parallels between basketball and dance: grace, fitness, strength and passion. Jeanette, who is paired with James, was heralded by The New York Times as “one of the world’s most marvelous ballerinas.” And Patricia, who is paired with Wade, “can catch the audience’s heart from her first entry and hold it” according to The New York Times.
The photos will serve as a centerpiece of a local and national campaign to promote the arts scene on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard, and to highlight the world-renowned Miami City Ballet.
“The Miami HEAT plays at AmericanAirlines Arena, which is mere blocks away from one of Miami City Ballet’s home theaters, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations. “They’re our neighbors and our friends and we’re delighted to celebrate 25 years of being part of Miami’s cultural landscape, and more specifically, the arts and entertainment district located along Biscayne Boulevard.”
During their shared 25-year history, the HEAT has earned two NBA Championships (2006 and 2012) while the Miami City Ballet, among the best ballet companies in the world, has evolved into an internationally acclaimed artistic powerhouse with a repertoire of more than 90 ballets and 45 dancers that hail from all over the world.
"Ballet and basketball are both about grace under pressure and the pursuit of perfection," said Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. "No Miami City Ballet dancer stands alone just as HEAT players can’t win alone. It requires team work—and that's Miami! We are talking about tremendous pride in the place we call home and being the best together."
The Delgado sisters will be available for interviews at 2:45 p.m. at center court.
Fans can view the photos, behind-the-scenes video clips and learn more about the campaign by logging onto: www.MiamiBalletandBasketball.com.