25 years of basketball and ballet in Miami celebrated together

Amid all the hoopla over the Miami HEAT's 25th anniversary during this current NBA season, their neighbors from a few blocks away have also been celebrating 25 years of being in Miami.

On Sunday, February 10th, the team welcomed Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers, sisters and Miami natives Jeanette and Patricia Delgado, at the Los Angeles Lakers vs. HEAT game, and they participated in various in-game activities.

"The Miami HEAT plays at AmericanAirlines Arena, which is mere blocks away from one of Miami City Ballet's home theaters, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts," said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group's Business Operations. "They're our neighbors and our friends and we're delighted to celebrate 25 years of being part of Miami's cultural landscape, and more specifically, the arts and entertainment district located along Biscayne Boulevard."

During their shared 25-year history, the HEAT has earned two NBA Championships (2006 and 2012) while the Miami City Ballet, among the best ballet companies in the world, has evolved into an internationally acclaimed artistic powerhouse with a repertoire of more than 90 ballets and 45 dancers that hail from all over the world.

"Ballet and basketball are both about grace under pressure and the pursuit of perfection," said Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. "No Miami City Ballet dancer stands alone just as HEAT players can't win alone. It requires team work-and that's Miami! We are talking about tremendous pride in the place we call home and being the best together."

Earlier in the season, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade participated in a photo shoot with the Delgado sisters "in a series of unique photos that showcase the world class athleticism of icons from both sports and dance."

The artistic photos, which feature the dancers in various ballet poses interacting with the players, underscore the parallels between basketball and dance: grace, fitness, strength and passion. Jeanette, who is paired with James, was heralded by The New York Times as "one of the world's most marvelous ballerinas." And Patricia, who is paired with Wade, "can catch the audience's heart from her first entry and hold it" according to The New York Times."