Where Florida Man, Flamenco and 'Back to the Future' Meet: Festival of the Arts Boca

World-class dancers soar across the stage. A live orchestra accompanies a classic film. Award-winning authors spin tales for rapt audiences.  

It all sounds like something you might expect at Lincoln Center, but this week Festival of the Arts Boca is in town, and Mizner Park Amphitheater has been transformed. Given that it’s also a highlight of Boca Raton’s centennial celebrations, this year’s festival is shaping up to be particularly spectacular.

The festival started in 2007 to promote the cultural arts and enrich the quality of life of the residents of Boca Raton, Palm Beach County and South Florida as a whole, according to the organizers.

But the festival isn’t just about entertainment. Its focus is also on cultural arts education, introducing new audiences to great music and dance, and exposing young people to the top artists in master classes and open rehearsals. While patrons of the arts support the festival by buying tickets and the project has dozens of sponsors and partners, local students of dance, music and literature are often invited to come as guests of the festival.

This year’s events include opera, dance, film and literary presentations by well-known authors including famed Florida novelist Carl Hiassen and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Back in Time,” which is incorporated into each day's festivities. On Sunday March 2, for example, “NeoDance Story Featuring Nestor Torres” featured the world-renowned flutist’s work – a mix of live performance by Torres and other musicians, archival video of his career, and a dazzling cadre of dancers who matched Puerto Rico-born Torres’ music with Latin styles such as tango, salsa, bachata and more contemporary Afro-Latin hip-hop.

One of the events that fits the big theme is a planned open-air screening of “Back to the Future,” the 1985 sci-fi/comedy classic, accompanied by a live orchestra. That event this Friday night, March 7, will include an 80-piece orchestra, promising a surreal cinematic and auditory experience – complete with a replica of Doc’s Delorean “time machine,” thanks to the Delorean Club of Florida.

“It's so much more of a physical experience – when you've got the orchestra right there, you can feel it, as well as hear it,” said Joanna Marie Kay, the executive director of the festival, in an interview with MediaLab.

Celebrating her 11th festival working for their team, she said that there's something for everyone and every age. They have incorporated kid-friendly activities, as well as activities adults and seniors can enjoy at the same time.

Since the Covid pandemic, the festival has seen a decrease in how many people show up to events. But with the centennial celebration and many interesting events attached, this is expected to be a popular week for local arts enthusiasts. 

The festival still offers virtual screen options that became popular during the pandemic. 

“There are a lot of elderly people in our community who either can't get out at all or can't get out at night, and it keeps them connected and they can participate,” Kay added.

The festival welcomes everyone to participate, and hopes to bring the community of greater Boca together. Organizers intend to showcase the talent that lies within the city, giving audiences the chance to watch performances in a beautiful open-air venue downtown.

Gabriel Chajnik, a passionate choreographer and dancer from Argentina, has created a program with the festival’s board that embraces the spirit of artistic fusion, from contemporary ballet to pieces that come from major dance companies. The resulting event, “A Night of Contemporary Ballet” will be on Saturday, March 8. “The evening will feature performances by former principal dancers from renowned companies such as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, José Limón, and Alvin Ailey, alongside new choreography that pushes the boundaries of contemporary ballet,” according to the festival website.

“There are a lot of artists that are participating in this,” says Chajnik. “They all have incredible careers.”

The choreographers are implementing famous masterpieces by two pillars of American modern dance, Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey. There were several works by Graham that were lost, Chajnik explained, and the festival is excited to showcase and honor her famous work.

“When I think about dance, I think about community,” said Chajnik. There will be very talented dancers and choreographers, alongside students from FAU that have worked hard to perform at this festival, he said.

There will be many ways to enjoy music, dance and art throughout the week. The Boca Festival Jazz Orchestra will also be performing on Sunday March 9, the closing night. Dr. Kevin Wilt, the chair of Florida Atlantic’s music department, and his students will be performing a special composition that evening. Dr. Kyle Prescott, Director of Bands and Professor of Music at FAU, will conduct music from every decade over the last century.

This final night of the festival will culminate in a big party to celebrate all the decades that have played a pivotal role in the 100-year history of this city. Party-goers are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite decade. There will be a wide variety of music from different genres and decades, and visitors can listen to the stories and see archival audio and photographs as part of the party of appreciation.

“This year’s festival has been an incredible celebration of art, history, and community,” said Wendy Larsen, the founder and board chair of Festival of the Arts Boca. “The enthusiasm from our audiences has been amazing, and it’s inspiring to see people of all ages connect with the music, literature and performances that honor Boca Raton’s centennial. From our opening night with Dallas Brass to the thought-provoking Authors & Ideas series, every event has brought our ‘Back in Time’ theme to life in a way that is both nostalgic and fresh.”