Creative placemaking turned into creative sign-making this year in Miami, where principal ballerinas and NBA stars became the poster heroes of a campaign to promote the city’s downtown as a hub for arts, entertainment, and sports.

The Adrienne Arsht Center’s Office of Neighborhood Development partnered with the Miami Downtown Development Authority and the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena to hang 60 banners along the city’s main boulevard to bring attention to the growing cultural district.

The banners featured sisters and Miami natives Jeanette and Patricia Delgado, both of whom are principal dancers with Miami City Ballet (one of the Arsht Center’s resident companies). The ballerinas were paired with Miami Heat superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who play at the arena less than a half-mile from the Arsht Center.

"Ballet and basketball are both about grace under pressure and the pursuit of perfection," said Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. "No Miami City Ballet dancer stands alone just as Heat players can’t win alone. It requires team work—and that's Miami! We are talking about tremendous pride in the place we call home and being the best together."

The street banners hung from light posts along Biscayne Boulevard for more than a month, showcasing the world-class athleticism of dance and sports icons. Images on the banners featured the dancers in ballet poses interacting with the players, underscoring parallels between basketball and dance such as grace, fitness, strength, and passion. Jeanette Delgado (who was paired with LeBron James) has been heralded by The New York Times as “one of the world’s most marvelous ballerinas.” Similary, the Times noted that Patricia Delgao (paired with Dwayne Wade) “can catch the audience’s heart from her first entry and hold it.”

In their shared 25-year history, the Miami Heat has earned two NBA Championships (2006 and 2012) while the Miami City Ballet has evolved into an internationally acclaimed artistic powerhouse with 45 dancers that hail from all over the world and boasting a repertoire of more than 90 ballets.

“The Miami Heat play at American Airlines Arena, which is blocks away from one of Miami City Ballet’s home theaters, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts,” said Eric Woolworth, President of Business Operations with the Heat Group. “They’re our neighbors and our friends, and we’re delighted to celebrate 25 years of being part of Miami’s cultural landscape, and more specifically, the arts and entertainment district located along Biscayne Boulevard.”

See the behind-the-scenes video about the banners photo shoot here.