The Edit by Brett Graff
SocialMiami's editor chronicles the city's happenings in leadership, society and entertainment.
Florida Grand Opera Leader Susan T. Danis to be honored by CIA
Florida Grand Opera General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis is being honored by the Citizens Interested in Arts (CIA) at their annual Champion of the Arts Awards Luncheon in March. Each year, CIA selects an individual who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the arts for commendation.
“Susan Danis is one of an outstanding group of men and women who has continuously exhibited by word or deed that commitment (to the arts),” says Meriddy Kotler, CIA President. “Susan has done a wonderful job with FGO. We honor her with this award as it is given to person who has been an asset to the artistic world and to their particular company.”
Danis has served as FGO’s General Director and CEO since 2012. Under her direction, FGO has produced internationally acclaimed opera, increased the focus on the presentation of 20th and 21st century works, launched the Made for Miami/Built for Broward Series, developed award winning education and engagement programs, and expanded the size of Studio Artist Program. Danis previously served as the Executive Director of Sarasota Opera for twelve years. During her tenure, the company raised $47 million and completed a $20 million renovation of the opera’s 1926 historic theater and was awarded the Florida Trust for Historic Preservations Award for Outstanding Achievement in Restoration/Rehabilitation. Danis has served as a panelist for the NEA, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. She also served a six-year term as a member of the Board of Trustees of OPERA America, where she was treasurer for three years.
“It is a great honor to receive this award and be among such a prestigious group of past recipients,” said Susan T. Danis. “CIA has made a tremendous impact on the South Florida arts community. To be acknowledged by such a committed group of women and men on the occasion of their 25th Anniversary is an unforgettable privilege.”
CIA was founded in 1997 by a group of friends passionate about supporting the arts and is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for its grants program. Notable members have included Charlie Cinnamon, famed theatre publicist known as the “Face of South Florida Theatre,” Shelton “Shelley” Berg, an American classical and jazz pianist, Grammy nominee, and Dean of the Frost School of Music, Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books and Books and co- founder of the Miami Book Fair, and Karen Fuller, concert producer and arts administrator at Florida International University. CIA is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The organization has awarded over a million dollars over its lifetime and makes annual grants to a variety of South Florida nonprofit arts-related organizations.
Alumni Hall of Fame Reception
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Alumni Hall of Fame hosted a private reception at the home of Heide and Jose Dans. Honorees included an incredible list of household names, starting with the Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem, SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, Bilzin Sumberg Managing Partner Albert E. Dotson, G Financial Group President Gerald C. Grant, Jr., The Children’s Trust President and CEO James Haj and ELITE Family Office Founder and President Roberto R. Munoz.
Magic Mike is Departing Miami
If you’ve been meaning to go but haven’t gotten around to it, this is your last chance people: the touring production of “MAGIC MIKE LIVE” will deliver its final performance in Miami at this month’s end. Turns out, there is just too much excitement surrounding the highly anticipated release of the movie “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and that put the plans for the next stop are ahead of schedule. If you have a ticket for a performance after February 26th, you’re getting your money back.
“We are beyond thankful to the people of South Florida for your warm welcome and the energy you’ve brought us night after night since we opened in October 2022,” the company said in a release. “We knew that Miami would be the perfect city to launch our North American tour, and you did not disappoint us!”
Brett Graff is SocialMiami.com’s managing editor and has been a journalist covering money, people and power for over 20 years. Graff contributes to national media outlets including Reuters, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Maxim, and the PBS show, Nightly Business Report. A former U.S. government economist, her nationally syndicated column The Home Economist is first published in The Miami Herald and then on the Tribune Content Agency, where it’s available to over 400 publications nationwide. She is broadcast weekly on two iHeartRadio news shows and is the author of “Not Buying It: Stop Overspending & Start Raising Happier, Healthier, More Successful Kids,” a parenting guide for people who might be tempted to buy their children the very obstacles they’re trying to avoid.
