Highlights
- Daniela Cardim marks two years as Ballet Arizona's artistic director on July 1, succeeding Ib Andersen's 24-year tenure.
- The 2026-27 season is the company's 40th anniversary and includes Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, and a contemporary program called Pulse: Three Works Shaping Ballet Today.
- Cardim is launching a choreography lab to develop Ballet Arizona dancers' skills behind the curtain as well as on stage.
- Cardim plans productions five years out, with some desired ballets not available until 2029.
Ballet Arizona artistic director Daniela Cardim is building the company's 40th anniversary season around a deliberate tension: classical warhorses that fill houses alongside contemporary work designed to push the form forward, according to reporting by the Phoenix New Times and KJZZ.
Cardim will mark two years in the role on July 1, having succeeded Ib Andersen, whose 24-year tenure shaped the company's identity. The 2026-27 season, the company's 40th, will include productions of Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, and The Nutcracker alongside a contemporary triple bill titled Pulse: Three Works Shaping Ballet Today.
Beyond the performance calendar, Cardim is launching a choreography lab to give Ballet Arizona dancers structured time to develop their own work. The initiative signals an investment in the company's creative pipeline at a moment when the field is competing for choreographic talent.
Cardim told the New Times she plans five years in advance, with some productions she wants not available until 2029, a planning horizon that reflects both the logistics of licensing and the ambition of the repertoire she is assembling.
Who is Daniela Cardim?
Cardim succeeded Ib Andersen, who led Ballet Arizona for 24 years before her appointment. She will reach her two-year mark in the role on July 1, 2026. Her 2026-27 programming blends the classical repertoire that sustained the company through Andersen's tenure with contemporary commissions and an internal choreography development program.
The 2026-27 season opens this fall. Ticket and subscription information is available at balletaz.org.
Sources
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- Phoenix New Times retrieved 20/05/2026 23:31
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 20/05/2026 23:31. Every claim traces to a source.
