News Coverage

A partnership between two performing arts groups has a double-edged component. The goal of the collaboration between Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami (DDTM) and Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion is to not only present something new from each organization but to introduce new audiences to both organizations.

“Summer Dances & 2 Pianos” at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, July 11, features DDTM company premieres by choreographer DaYoung Jung of the Oklahoma City Ballet and DDTM artist-in-residence Yanis Eric Pikieris with DDTM dancers Selah Jane Oliver and Rafael Ruiz-del-Vizo. Music will be performed by New York-based piano duo Stephanie & Saar, Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia.

Middle and high school students from all over Miami-Dade County Public Schools capped off National Poetry Month on April 18 in Piano Slam’s “Searching for Home,” inspired by the creative writing journey of President Barack Obama’s 2013 inaugural poet laureate Richard Blanco.

Presented by Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion, Piano Slam brings together spoken word and live music, pairing young poets with professional musicians in a performance that blends classical, jazz and contemporary sounds. This year’s theme, “Searching for Home,” invites students to explore identity, belonging and memory, inspired by the creative journey of Cuban American poet Richard Blanco, a presidential inaugural poet.

Regale el artículo Kristhyan Benítez (izq) y Vanessa Pérez actúan durante una presentación de “A Fuego Lento” en el Muzyczny Festiwal en Lancut, Polonia, en junio. Foto cortesía / Festival de Música Siendo un joven pianista criado en Venezuela, Kristhyan Benítez asistía a los conciertos de Vanessa Pérez, admirándola desde el público mucho antes de que compartieran escenario como colaboradores. El domingo 1 de marzo, ambos se suben al escenario juntos en Miami, donde “A Fuego Lento” se estrena en Norteamérica.

As a young pianist growing up in Venezuela, Kristhyan Benítez attended Vanessa Perez’s concerts, admiring her from the audience long before the two would share a stage as collaborators. On Sunday, March 1, the two take the stage together in Miami, where “A Fuego Lento” makes its North American premiere.

Presented by Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and held during National Poetry Month, the show featured 15 finalists in Dranoff’s annual poetry competition.

“When I was growing up, the piano world in Venezuela was very small. I went to every Vanessa concert—I always wanted to play like her,” says Benítez. “And now we end up being family and playing music together. It’s full circle.”

Poetry combined with hip-hop, classical and pop music has young poets competing for prizes from $100 to $1,000 at this year’s Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion “Piano Slam." The music-poetry mashup is at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, April 23. Since its inception in 2007, Piano Slam has been a platform for young poets in Miami-Dade County to merge their creative writing with classical and contemporary music.

Though they did not attend school at the same time, both Benítez and Perez, who are now based in New York City, were shaped by Venezuela’s Emil Friedman School, a primary-through-secondary school known for its strong emphasis on music. One of the school’s guiding philosophies, they said, was “there is no culture without musical culture.”

Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County will present Piano Slam 2025 in the Arsht Knight Concert Hall on Wednesday, Apr. 23, at 7:30 p.m., in celebration of National Poetry Month.

“A Fuego Lento”—meaning a “simmering fire,” was created by Perez, Benítez and Stephen Buck, composer and arranger. The Miami performance at Pinecrest Gardens will mark the first time the composer will hear the program performed live despite being a central figure in its creation. Buck, Perez’s husband, created the two piano arrangements that translate popular and folk songs into the language of classical piano.

Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion, formerly known as the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation, begins its 2024-2025 season with a forward-looking mission, embracing a broader musical vision. Launching on Sunday, Nov. 24, the organization’s upcoming concerts aim to present classical compositions while reflecting Miami’s diverse cultural landscape, according to Emily Cardenas, Dranoff 2 Piano’s new executive director.

“For this project to work, you need the right people who really understand the idea,” says Benítez. “With Vanessa, Stephen and myself, it feels complete—like a kind of holy trinity.”

Kaaliyah Lollar was an eighth grader at Norland Middle School who had never been in front of a crowd that big when she took to the stage to perform an original poem in front of countless people at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for the 2023 Piano Slam.

“It’s a chance to shine your light,” she said of the competition. “It’s a chance to go out there, be yourself and show them who you are.”