Photo via Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts
Has it been that long already? Twenty years ago, a splendid performing arts and arts education hub, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, rose from the fields on the far west side of metro Milwaukee. Despite what Artistic Director Nichole Cooper describes as “the curveballs of the last year,” the Wilson Center survived to celebrate a milestone year.
“And while we are tremendously grateful for the ways we were able to continue to bring audiences safely together through the arts with limited-capacity and virtual performances and programs last season,” Cooper continues, “our team is so excited to once again bring our audiences a full schedule of music, dance and more.”
As in past years, the Wilson Center’s 2021-2022 season is an eclectic mix. The program includes acclaimed local artists including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, violinist Frank Almond and bayan virtuoso Stas Venglevski. International touring acts coming to the Wilson this season include Ballet Hispánico, Cantus and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. The new Wisconsin Artists Green Room Series “will introduce audiences to 13 different artists from a wide range of locales around our state, as well as an eclectic array of genres—jazz, pop, rock, Latin, country, folk, soul, classic, Celtic and more,” Cooper says.
Turning 20, for institutions as well as individuals, can be a time for introspection. “As we worked on programming our birthday year, we reflected back on the vision of the Wilson Center and our core values of the past 20 years, which includes collaboration,” she says. “In that spirit, this season marks the start a new lecture series, Arts A La Carte. Designed to offer lifelong learners and arts lovers a deeper look at different mediums—from visual to performing to culinary to literary to textile and more—we hope Arts A La Carte will expand our audiences’ arts knowledge and give them intimate access to behind-the-scenes conversations featuring directors, designers, sculptors, painters, writers, chefs, dancers, dramaturgs, music historians, etc. … all from within our vibrant local arts and culture community.”
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Cooper is realistic in her assessment of live versus virtual in the performing arts. “while it was exciting to see the innovation that the arts displayed in the past 18 months with different types of virtual experiences and offerings, the arts not only bring us hope and inspiration, but they also bring us together,” she explains. “And I think almost any artist or arts organization would agree that there is a vitality and almost a sense of rejuvenation with live performances, for both the artist and audience, that is impossible to replicate in a virtual setting.”
This season, the acclaimed New York-based Ballet Hispanico, known for fusing Latin American dance with ballet traditions, will make its debut on the Wilson stage. Along with their Oct. 22 concert, the ensemble will give a daytime performance for school groups followed by a Latinx dance workshop.
The Oct. 22 program on October 22 will feature three works.
Choreographed by Vicente Nebrada, Arabesque “is an elegant suite of dances set to the music of Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Traces of Flamenco influence are hinted at in the upper body as the dancers move through lush balletic contemporary phrase work,” Cooper says.
In Tiburones, choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa addresses “the discrimination and stereotypes placed upon Latinx culture and the power the media has in portraying these themes by diminishing the voices of Latinx artists,” Cooper continues. “Ochoa will deconstruct gender roles and identity to revitalize an authentic perspective of Puerto Rican icons appropriated within the entertainment industry.”
Finally, “18+1 celebrates Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s 19 years as a choreographer and the vulnerability, care, and hope that comes with each artistic endeavor. In a display of subtle humor and electric choreography, the movement merges with the playful rhythms found in Pérez Prado's mambo music. Sansano draws from his history and memory to take a joyous look at the past, present, and coming future,” Cooper says.
For more information on the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (3270 Mitchell Park Drive, Brookfield), visit wilson-center.com.
