It took more than a year, but Cincinnati Ballet finally named a permanent artistic director.
There was no big surprise in the announcement, though. The new director is former principal dancer Cervilio Miguel Amador, who has served as interim artistic director since Jodie Gates’ abrupt departure in September 2023 – just 14 months after she took the job.
The appointment is sure to delight the company’s fan base. Amador was much-loved as a dancer and, during his time as interim leader, has garnered enthusiastic applause every time he’s stepped onto the stage for preshow greetings.
Longtime principal dancer Cervilio Miguel Amador is now Cincinnati Ballet’s permanent artistic director.
For a time, it seemed that Amador would be announced at the end of last season. But due to internal bumps and the lack of an extensive national search, the decision was postponed. Since then, the company has completed a broader search, one that involved bringing several candidates to Cincinnati to meet the company and the board.
Now, just before the company begins its 50th season of “Nutcracker” performances on Dec. 19, the time seemed opportune. Amador will have a chance to reintroduce himself to audiences during the 16-performance run of the company’s most-attended annual production.
Amador joined the company in 2004, soon after defecting from Cuba during a U.S. tour of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Cincinnati’s then-artistic director Victoria Morgan, who had seen Amador perform in Cuba, quickly made her way to Florida, where she wooed Amador and a pair of other Cuban dancers, Gema Diaz and Adiarys Almeida, to become Cincinnati Ballet members.
All three eventually made enormous impacts on the company. But none was so prominent as Amador.
Small in stature but with an outsized and welcoming personality, he quickly endeared himself to Cincinnati audiences. He helped usher a more competitive, but lighthearted mood into the studio. It wasn’t uncommon to see male dancers spend their rehearsal breaks competing to see who could perform the most pirouettes. It was an enthusiasm that was soon reflected onstage.
His personality has gone beyond the studio, as well. He became quick friends with fellow Cuban, former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman. In 2013, in fact, he was invited to throw out a first pitch at a Reds game. The pitch was on target. But the pirouettes Amador did on the mound were greeted even more enthusiastically than his throw.
The 41-year-old Amador is married to former Cincinnati Ballet dancer Jackie Damico Amador. Together, they have three small children.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Ballet names former principal dancer as artistic director
