In the company of a star

IF the cards had been dealt differently, the New York-born, Italian American Edward Villella might easily have found work on TV’s “The Sopranos” or “Everybody Loves Raymond,” or even forged a big-screen career a la Pacino or De Niro. But where the acting world was denied, the universe of dance gained one of its most vivid presences.

From the late 1950s till the mid-’70s, Villella’s scorching good looks and tough-guy athleticism were hallmarks of the New York City Ballet, where his leaps that seemed fueled by helium, his feet that moved like a hummingbird’s wings and, above all, his raw power produced electrifying performances that redefined the idea of the danseur.

This leading man was earthier, more volatile, more ethnic than audiences were used to from male ballet stars. His most celebrated role was in “Prodigal Son,” created by George Balanchine, City Ballet’s artistic director and choreographic genius until his death in 1983. Portraying the biblical ne’er-do-well, he owned the stage.

These days, Villella is on the cusp of 70 (a milestone he will reach in October), but he still boasts a thick mane of inky black hair and he is still master of his domain. The latter just happens to be 1,500 miles south, in Miami Beach. Since 1986, he has employed his focus, his passion for detail and his streetwise energy as artistic director of Miami City Ballet, a company he founded and built from scratch. Next weekend, he and 47 Miami dancers will bring two programs to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as part of the troupe’s 20th anniversary season. On tap are works by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins and, naturally, a pair of Balanchine classics.

Ensconced in an airy office in the 63,000-square-foot Miami Beach headquarters the company moved to in 2000, Villella still spells New Yorker: Clad in jeans, a polo shirt and Block jazz sneakers, the former welterweight boxing champion, son of a truck-driver father and factory-worker mother, has just finished teaching company class. The hour-and-a-half weekday ritual is something he thrives on, despite a medical history that includes three hip replacements, nine broken toes, stress from back fractures and an ongoing arthritic condition that caused him to give up performing in 1975.

“We had to compete with the sun and sand and the great outdoors,” Villella recalls of his move to South Florida some two decades ago. “At that time, it seemed like an odd place to try and make a company, but one reason I thought this might work was that I liked these people. I also did some demographics and found that 1,000 people a day were moving to Florida.”

With seed money of $1 million he raised from wealthy former New Yorkers living in Florida and a business plan that outlined the troupe’s first 11 years, the director’s sandcastle dreams slowly became reality. Having hired 19 dancers, Villella says, he understood that a distinguished repertory, initially built around Balanchine, would be key, as opposed to “flashy guest artists” or second-tier story ballets.

“I thought if we did everything right in the beginning, we’d have 2,000 subscribers,” he says. Instead, “we had 4,500 and now have nearly 15,000, with an annual operating budget of $10 million.

“Of course, to bring that level of sophistication -- Balanchinian aesthetics -- to a cultural wasteland has been a tough sell.”

But sell he did. The boy from Queens began talking to audiences before each concert, a gambit he continues today. His theory was that abstract Balanchine works -- such as “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” which will be seen Friday and Saturday at the Music Center -- could be broken down, reduced to their “poetic essence,” grasped and enjoyed.

“Does the ballerina represent the violin, the music or all of it?” the erstwhile performer asks rhetorically. “As for the company, when they dance Balanchine, it’s incredibly educational. It’s a series of simplicities that make up the apparent complexity of great art.”

Although it stopped doing new pieces after resident choreographer Jimmy Gamonet De Los Heros departed in 2000, Miami City Ballet now has a repertory north of 80 works, including such Balanchine masterpieces as the full-evening “Jewels” (Villella danced in the premiere in 1967), the 19th century story ballets “Giselle” and “Coppelia,” and a large cache of Paul Taylor and other contemporary works. A production of another 19th century war horse, “Don Quixote,” is on deck for October, when the new Miami Performing Arts Center is scheduled to open. In short, MCB -- as it’s now widely known in the Sunshine State and beyond -- has decidedly arrived.

Much of its success has also stemmed from Villella’s assiduous cultivation of support in three other South Florida counties, including the upscale Palm Beach ZIP Code. Add to this national and international touring, with dates in more than 100 U.S. cities and throughout Europe over the last two decades, and MCB’s history could provide a blueprint for building a company.

Top-notch dancers are also vital to the enterprise. A cosmopolitan mix of Cubans, Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Americans and others, the MCB members who wander through the three-story headquarters appear happy to be working full tilt on ballets comprising three to five casts each and performed as many as 14 times a season.

“I wanted to make a company I would have danced in,” says Villella. “I wasn’t looking for swagger and ego. The worst thing is to be a somewhat talented dancer and be warehoused, which leads to frustration. I want to come to work looking forward to it and leave the same way.”

Dancer Carlos Guerra agrees. The 27-year-old Cuban emigre joined MCB in 2001 and was promoted to principal dancer three years ago. He’s also engaged to fellow principal Jennifer Kronenberg. The New York Times recently dubbed their onstage partnership “incandescently sultry.”

“Mr. Villella has been like a father figure to me,” says Guerra. “The repertory was something new, and I never had the opportunity to work in this style. It was hard at first, but he offered to work with me and it’s easier now. I feel good here, even more now that I found my soul mate.”

Love and tights do seem to be in bloom at MCB. Mexican-born Katia Carranza, also 27, was recruited by Villella in 1998 and rose through the ranks of the corps to become a principal in 2004. In 2001, she married principal Luis Serrano.

“Being here changed my life -- personally and professionally,” says Carranza. “I never danced Balanchine before, but Edward is very helpful with people and makes you feel comfortable. There are no bad attitudes, and since we also get to do a lot of mixed repertory, this is good for dancers.”

Having spacious headquarters is another mark of accomplishment for the company. Home is a building several blocks from the Atlantic that was converted from a vacant retail space to the tune of $7.5 million. From the street, dancers can be seen practicing in two second-floor studios. The lobby boasts an endearing statue of Terpsichore as well as an array of costumes and autographed pointe shoes under glass. There are eight studios in all, a climate-controlled wardrobe department, administrative offices, massage rooms and other amenities.

It’s also home to a thriving school. Established in 1993 and run by Villella’s wife, Linda, a former Canadian figure skating star, the school, a reliable source of talent for the company, serves 400 students, ages 5 through high school. A summer-intensive program also draws 200 pupils annually from places as far-flung as China and Hungary.

There is little doubt that Villella’s second act has been as triumphant as his first. Could there yet be a third -- retirement? With his typical candor, the New York transplant won’t hear of it.

“It’s been a long haul,” he says, “but now we are appreciated. I plan on staying until I can’t do it anymore -- or I can’t do it well anymore. I’m a very healthy guy -- no major diseases -- except orthopedically and having my body sliced into. What the hell would I do -- drive myself nuts?”

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Miami City Ballet

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. next Sunday

Price: $25 to $95

Contact: (213) 972-0711 or www.ticketmaster.com