(Highlighting FTL Based Miami Body Cast’s Collaboration With The Miami City Ballet)
BY ALI BERGER
Comfortably nestled in the heart of South Beach, the Miami City Ballet recently housed
the debut of, The Art Of The Ballet–a richly dynamic collaboration between the multi-
talented artist duo, Miami Body Cast (made up of creatives Sierra Rasberry & Ernest
Vasquez) and of course, the famous Miami City Ballet Company. During the week of Art
Basel, the South Florida chilly winter air brought a brisk breeze and a packed crowd–but
inside the studio, things were just heating up.
Soloist Emily Bromberg and Principal Soloist Jovani Furlan joined forces with Miami Body Cast to create some of the most stunning sketches, sculptures and paintings for the fundraising Gala. During the kick-off event, Bromberg was on scene meeting fans and posing for pictures. Her body cast was on display for the first time in public, surrounded by the other various mediums created by the artist duo. All artwork produced by Miami Body Cast is either considerately donated for the Gala or exclusively available for purchase.
I caught up with Sierra Rasberry, curious to know of how such a spectacular collaboration came to fruition. She responded–
“I first approached her asking, ‘can we cast your feet?’ She was more than happy with my proposition.”
Sierra Rasberry & Ernest Vasquez have been body casting for three years, and describes the process as an intense sculpting, molding, casting project that is the result of her collaboration with Vasquez. Vasquez creatively comes up with the overall vision, and Rasberry artfully executes it. They both seek to create sculptures that tell stories, inspire their audience and luminously reveal the pleasing nature of aesthetics.
With the obvious intersection of the ballet and sculpture comes a deep appreciation for
such aesthetics. Rasberry had told me in a related comment how much she admires the
graceful lines of dancers, and how it was only natural to cast them in their natural state.
Inspiration for such work felt natural to Miami Body Cast, and their creative, organic
process reflects the shared destiny of such a collaboration.
Alongside what felt like my private viewing of the works on display came a private, impromptu dance by Bromberg and stand-in partner, Eric Trope. The unmistakable passion of the graceful duet mingled perfectly with Miami Body Casts’ artwork, creating a scene of harmonious beauty. With art being the ultimate expression of emotion, the fluidity of the dancers demonstrated an impermeable grace that exists in all of us. Framed by the sculptures, photographs and paintings, each viewer felt magnetically pulled in to a deeper display of artistic expression.'
To see more of the fabulous works by Miami Body Cast, click here or contact MCB manager Evan Snow @954-361-4998 and remember to stay tuned by Choosing 954!
Ali Berger is a staff writer and local arts journalist by night, and creative storyteller/copywriter by day. Follow her on twitter @laquadivine or instagram @alibchi