Dickens does Dance in Site-Specific “HAVISHAM!” at North Miami Beach Spanish Monastery

Great Expectations is one of British master Charles Dickens’ most beloved novels, and the character he created for it of Miss Havisham is one of his most famous. Dance NOW! Miami Artistic Director Hannah Baumgarten will reimagine her in a world premiere dance theater piece, Havisham!, February 7 and February 8, at North Miami Beach’s iconic Ancient Spanish Monastery. 

Conceived from a female perspective, with the stunning backdrop of the location to help tell the story, audiences will roam through the oldest building in the Americas for this site-specific, interactive evening. They will be accompanied by the sounds of the South Beach Chamber Ensemble playing music from Bartok to Gershwin. “My new work provides a compassionate backstory to this often-reviled literary villain who was never even afforded a first name,” said Baumgarten. ”This is a continuation of my ongoing approach to reframing historical and classical stories in my choreography.”

Bruce F. Brown, a veteran Dance Now colleague, will transform the Monastery into scenes from the novel, creating the famed wedding table, transporting the audience back to Victorian England. Long time collaborators Haydee and Maria Morales have conceived and created dramatic Gothic and Spanish-influenced costumes for this 45-minute site-specific ballet.

Upcoming Dance NOW! Miami 2023/24 season events include: March 17, Program II: “Gli Altri/The Others” with Italy’s Opus Ballet, Miami Theater Center; March 24, Palm Sunday in the Garden with the South Beach Chamber Ensemble, Miami Beach Botanical Garden; May 17 & 18, Program III: “Pop” and Other Works, 5/17 Broward Center & 5/18 Aventura Arts & Cultural Center; and June 10-214, World Dance Summer Intensive, Little Haiti Cultural Complex. Visit www.dancenowmiami.org or contact Dance NOW! at (305) 975-8489 and info@dancenowmiami.org