Lourdes Lopez is a transformative force in arts leadership, blending artistic excellence with strategic innovation and entrepreneurial skill. With more than five decades of experience across nearly every role in the arts—as artist, producer, presenter, fundraiser, grantor, grantee, cultural affairs correspondent, executive director, artistic director and consultant—She has consistently revitalized organizations, built a company from the ground up, and created lasting impact.
Recruited in 2012 to lead Miami City Ballet during one of the most turbulent moments in its history, Ms. Lopez restored fiscal stability, rebuilt fractured relationships, and elevated the company to global prominence. Under her leadership, MCB achieved financial sustainability, erased debt, and expanded its reputation to become as one of the world’s premier ballet institutions.
As co-founder of Morphoses in 2007, with a mission to revitalize dance through innovative collaborations with important artists from the world of music, visual arts, design, film and fashion, she developed a pioneering residency model across three cities (London, New York, and Vail). Later, she transformed Morphoses’ model from a single artistic director structure to a curatorial approach—inviting a different choreographer each year to create a full one-hour work for the company. This innovative model expanded creative possibilities and engaged audiences in new ways. As Executive Director of The George Balanchine Foundation, she curated and led its global centennial celebration and organized the first-ever Balanchine conference in his birthplace at the Hermitage Museum and Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia. As a Ford Foundation Trustee, currently in her second term, she fulfills fiduciary responsibilities and provides oversight over arts related policy and funding practices.
In founding Lourdes Lopez Arts LLC, she brings this unparalleled expertise to consulting—advising organizations, artists, boards, and funders on sustainable growth, governance, and innovative models for the arts.
Born in Havana and raised in Miami, Ms. Lopez became the first Latina Principal Dancer of New York City Ballet before transitioning into executive and other leadership roles. Her career reflects a unique ability to bridge vision and pragmatism: preserving tradition while forging bold, forward-looking strategies.
Her leadership and impact have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Dance Magazine Award for Outstanding Achievements in Dance Leadership, the Jerome Robbins Award, the José Limón Director’s Award for Excellence, the Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor, the American Immigration Law Foundation Award, and Ballet Hispánico’s Toda una Vida Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also honored with the Key to the City of Miami Beach and invited to join President Obama’s historic cultural delegation to Cuba in 2016.
Since departing Miami City Ballet in May 2025, Ms. Lopez has focused on establishing Lourdes Lopez Arts LLC as a consulting services company. Specifically, Ms. Lopez has targeted her energy on the development of a fresh, sustainable economic model for the performing and visual arts, focused on Miami. She has also taken on a pioneering media project/series on dance partnering, with the initial filming completed recently.
Ms. Lopez continues to redefine what it means to lead in the arts: not just as an artist, but as an entrepreneur, strategist, and cultural change-maker.