WORKS
ERA: Emerging and Resident Artists
A Creative Laboratory for Contemporary Dance & Innovation
Experience ERA, a dynamic collection of world-premiere contemporary works created exclusively for Tampa City Ballet by nationally and internationally recognized choreographers.
Conceived as a creative laboratory for innovation and collaboration, ERA brings artists from leading cultural centers to Tampa to develop bold new works—offering audiences access to the kind of cutting-edge contemporary performance typically experienced in major arts communities, now happening right here in Tampa Bay.
Designed for both longtime arts lovers and first-time audiences, ERA invites viewers into an engaging journey through movement, storytelling, and creative exploration. Blending contemporary dance, multimedia elements, and visually immersive theatricality, the program expands beyond traditional ballet into something immediate, powerful, and deeply human.
Partnerships
Partnership: University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, through the College of Design, Art & Performance, serves as ERA's primary academic partner by providing student internships, mentorship, interdisciplinary research, workshops, and professional residencies. The partnership creates direct pathways from higher education to professional careers while fostering collaboration among artists, faculty, and students.
Partnership: Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg transforms its galleries into creative laboratories where choreographers and multimedia artists develop site-responsive work inspired by selected museum collections. Artist residencies, gallery performances, open rehearsals, and public conversations connect visual art and dance while engaging museum audiences in the creative process.
Partnership: Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
In collaboration with the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, photographers work alongside choreographers throughout the creative process to create original artistic interpretations of movement rather than documentary images. The partnership culminates in curated photography exhibitions and artist conversations that explore how dance and photography preserve memory, interpret culture, and tell stories through different artistic perspectives.
Partnership: University of Tampa
Led by Santiago Echeverry, Professor and Chair of the NASAD-accredited Film, Animation and New Media Department, the University of Tampa contributes expertise in film, animation, multimedia design, and emerging technologies, expanding ERA's capacity for interdisciplinary storytelling and innovative audience experiences.
Presenting Partners: New Tampa Performing Arts Center & Straz Center for the Performing Arts
ERA culminates in professionally produced performances at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, the University of South Florida, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Presenting the work across multiple venues expands access to contemporary dance, reaches diverse audiences throughout the Tampa Bay region, and cultivates new audiences by connecting first-time attendees with original contemporary performance.