Mrs. Lopez’ career began at home in Venezuela and continued through the San Francisco Ballet, the Cleveland Ballet and as soloist with the Deutsche Opera Berlin and the Deutsche Opera am Rhein in Dusseldorf, then in 1987 she became the Prima Ballerina with the Miami City Ballet where she remained for eighteen successful years.

As a guest principal dancer she has performed for different Ballet companies internationally as well as the most important Dance Festivals and Galas of Stars in the World.

She performed all of the leading roles in the classical repertoire as well as in the works by Balanchine, Bejart, Hans Van Manen, McMillan, Petit, Nebrada and Kylian, among others.

During her years with the Miami City Ballet, Mrs. Lopez performed all the leading roles in Theme and Variations, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Bugaku, Agon, the Four Temperaments, Allegro Brillante, Serenade, Scotch Symphony, La Source, the Prodigal Son, Raymonda Variations, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Concerto Barroco, Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, and many others, she also originated many of the principal roles of the company repertoire such as Carmen, Prokofiev Piano Concerto, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, D Symphonies, Aria, Purple Bend I, Concerto for la Donna and Tobiniana.

She received much deserved National and International recognition from respected critics, being featured on the cover of many important Dance magazines including, Dance Magazine (1997), Pointe Magazine (2000) and Dancer Magazine (2004). 

Her dedication and passion for her career earned her special awards such as the Orden Arturo Michelena in Venezuela, the Key of the City of Baton Rouge in Louisiana where she was declared “Honorable Mayor” , the Proclamation of Miami-Dade County by Mayor Alex Penelas, the Proclamation of the City of Hialeah by Mayor Raul Martinez, who declared “March 12th” the Iliana Lopez Day, a special award for her contribution to the Arts in Naples, Florida and a special award from the Jackie Gleason Theatre for her outstanding contribution to the Arts in the city of Miami Beach. 

She performed for former Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and Ex-First Lady Hillary Clinton being invited afterwards to the White House, the Ex-Prime Minister of Israel Isaac Shamir, and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Since her retirement in 2004, she was selected by the National Museum of Dance in the United States to put her pointe shoes in their permanent exhibition. Mrs. Lopez has worked as Ballet Mistress and répétiteur for the Miami City Ballet, Ballet Gamonet, Ballet de Monterrey in Mexico, Ballet de Santiago in Chile, Ballet de la Opera de Bordeaux in France and as guest touring Ballet Mistress with Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

Since 2012, Mrs. Lopez took the reigns as artistic director at Gulfshore Ballet, co-leading the organization with her husband Franklin Gamero and together they have transformed the regional ballet scene with their breathtaking productions of Don Quixote, Coppelia, and the Sleeping Beauty, inspiring a new era of artistic excellence. Their visionary partnership with the Guff Coast Symphony has generated captivating performances, such as the Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Firebird, while also nurturing meaningful collaborations with the Opera Naples and Gulfshore Opera that continue to expand the boundaries of artistic innovation.

Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero have been the directors of the Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros since 2022, ensuring the preservation of Jimmy Gamonet’s works, integrity and copyrights, while upholding Mr. Gamonet’s advocated artistic standards.

The career of Franklin Gamero began at home in Venezuela and continued through the San Francisco Ballet, the Cleveland Ballet and as soloist with the Deutsche Opera Berlin and the Deutsche Opera am Rhein in Dusseldorf. In 1987 he became Principal Dancers with the Miami City Ballet where he remained for eighteen successful years.

As guest principal dancer he has performed for different ballet companies internationally, as well as for Gala of the Stars and the most important dance festivals in the world. He performed all of the leading roles in the classical repertoire, as well as in works by Balanchine, Bejart, Van Manen, MacMillan, Petit, Nebrada and Kylian, among others.

During the years with the Miami City Ballet, he performed the principal roles in Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, the Prodigal Son, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, La Source, Raymonda Variations, Allegro Brillante, Concerto Barroco, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, La Source, Scotch Synphony, Square Dance, Stars and Stripes, Bugaku and many others, he originated many of the principal roles of the company repertoire, such as Carmen, Prokofiev Piano Concerto, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, D Symphony, Aria, Purple Bend, Concerto for la Donna and Tobiniana. He was recognized among the world’s leading dancers.

His dedication and passion for their career earned him special awards, such as the Orden Arturo Michelena in Venezuela, the Key of the City of Baton Rouge in Louisiana where he was declared “Honorable Mayor”, the Proclamation of Miami-Dade County by Mayor Alex Penelas, the Proclamation of Hialeah by Mayor Raul Martinez, who declared “March 12” the Franklin Gamero Day, a special award for his contribution to the Arts in Naples, Florida by the Naples Philharmonic and a special award from the Jackie Gleason Theatre for his outstanding contribution to the Arts in the City of Miami Beach.

Franklin Gamero performed for President Gerald Ford and President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House. Afterward, he was invited to perform for former Prime Minister Isaac Shamir and Princess Caroline of Monaco

Mr. Gamero has served as Artistic Advisor with Ballet Teresa Carreño in Venezuela, guest Ballet Master with the Ballet Nacional Dominicano, Ballet Concierto Dominicano and Western Ballet in Puerto rico. He has also served as a choreographer for the National Ballet School of the Dominican Republic and Ballet Clasico Alina Abreu, Conservatorio de Danza in Santo Domingo, as well as for the America’s Ballet School in Tampa, Florida.

Since 2012, Mr. Gamero took the reigns as artistic director at Gulfshore Ballet, co-leading the organization with his wife Iliana Lopez, and together they have transformed the regional ballet scene with their breathtaking productions of Don Quixote, Coppelia, and the Sleeping Beauty, inspiring a new era of artistic excellence. Their visionary partnership with the Guff Coast Symphony has generated captivating performances, such as the Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Firebird, while also nurturing meaningful collaborations with the Opera Naples and Gulfshore Opera that continue to expand the boundaries of artistic innovation.

Franklin Gamero and Iliana Lopez have been the directors of the Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros since 2022, ensuring the preservation of Jimmy Gamonet’s works, integrity and copyrights, while upholding Mr. Gamonet’s advocated artistic standards.