At Miami City Ballet, star husband and wife duo bring true love to the stage
By INGRID ROJAS
Text by MIGUEL TAMAYO
Channel: Culture, Entertainment
For Carlos Miguel Guerra and Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, ballet is much more than a profession. Ballet, for these two, is fate. It’s a matchmaker and a unifying force that has come to define their lives in ways that they never could have imagined.
Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Carlos Miguel Guerra’s journey to becoming a principal dancer at the Miami City Ballet seems like it was lifted straight from the pages of a screenplay.
As a young boy in Cuba, Carlos discovered his affinity for the ballet and quickly became one of the country’s most promising young dancers. In 1998, he was recruited by the Ballet Company of Santiago, Chile, and after receiving permission from the Cuban government, he traveled to South America to pursue his passion. Carlos only planned on being away from his country for a few months. That is, until he received a call from Miami.
The producers of Sabado Gigante wanted him to come to their studios to surprise his grandmother, who was scheduled to appear on the show. Carlos packed his bags for a 4-day trip, but ended up staying much longer. After the emotional reunion with his family, he was persuaded to audition for the Miami City Ballet, and the rest, as they say, is history.
However, Carlos’ amazing story does not end there. Once at the Miami City Ballet, he soon met the New York-born Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, a fellow dancer, and as he puts it, “the first rehearsal I had with her, I fell in love with her.” Yet, it took five years before Guerra could muster up the courage to let Jennifer know how he felt. Luckily for him, he quickly learned that the feeling was mutual.
Today, Carlos and Jennifer are closing in on their 6-year anniversary. They are frequently paired together as leads, and as Jennifer explains, “dancing together as husband and wife is … it’s beautiful.”
On Friday, Carlos and Jennifer will be taking the stage as the leads in the Miami City Ballet’s opening night performance of Giselle, a ballet that has special significance for the pair, as it was the first ballet that they danced as a couple.
