VIDEO: Founding Visionary
Toby Lerner Ansin and Miami City Ballet
More than two decades ago, the seeds were planted that have bloomed into the cultural renaissance that Miami is currently experiencing. A major component of this cultural core began 25 years ago when Toby Ansin had a meeting with the great Edward Villella at her home. During that meeting, Villella mapped out a 10 year strategy of how to build a classical ballet company. From there, Ansin raised a mere $7,000 to fly Villella back and forth while they created the Miami City Ballet (MCB). Today, MCB has an annual budget of $15 million.
On the eve of MCB’s 25th anniversary season, SocialMiami sat down with Ansin on the stage of the Playground Theatre, her daughter Stephanie’s children’s theatre company in Miami Shores, for an exclusive interview that examines both the evolution of MCB, as well as how Miami continues to evolve culturally.
Aaron Glickman is a creator/producer native to Miami. He has worked in South Florida media for the past 15 years documenting a regional transformation predicated on art and design. His digital media platform, www.Current.Miami, tells hyper-local stories through the use of video.
From 2007 to 2016, Aaron was the publisher of SocialMiami.com, a society-driven digital media platform. During that period, Aaron created content-driven strategies with many of the region’s most prestigious brands and institutions. He also served on boards and committees for several non-profits.
In 2017, Aaron produced and directed the feature-length documentary Miami Basel: Art’s Winter Playground. The film tells the story of Art Basel’s influence on Miami. Its world premiere in 2019 at the Miami Film Festival.
Prior to working in media, Aaron was a union stage actor. He studied Shakespeare in London and was a six-year member of Theatricum Botanicum, a classical theater company located in Topanga Canyon, California. In 2016, Aaron returned to the stage to tackle the role of Richard Sherman in “The Seven Year Itch” and is currently doing voice-over work for NBC.
