Taking ballet to the streets, that is the exciting new initiative of Milwaukee Ballet. Named Ballet Beat, this project is comprised of public rehearsals, free open classes (for people to watch not take) and performances throughout the city. Taking advantage of the city’s vibrant atmosphere in the summer, the Milwaukee Ballet dancers will perform in outdoors venues, for free, no RSVP needed, to make ballet accessible to people who cannot usually afford it.
“We want to demystify ballet,” explains Alyson Chavez of Milwaukee Ballet. “It is athletic and exciting and fun, and we want people to be able to see it without worrying about how much the tickets cost, what they should wear to the theater or whether they know enough about ballet to enjoy it. Our show will have something for everyone whether they are new to ballet or already a big fan!”
Ballet Beat stars Lizzie Tripp, Marie Collins, Lahna Vanderbush, Barry Molina and Randy Crespo are at the frontlines of the events to come. They will dance at Peck Pavilion, Jodi Peck center and the Wauwatosa Public Library on July 21, 24, 25 and 26. There will be a pop-up performance – “an awesome surprise!” – on the 25that 5:15 p.m. at the corner of Water and Wisconsin downtown, before the final performance at Peck Pavilion on the 27th at 7 p.m.
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The big performance will include a world premiere piece by resident choreographers Petr Zahradnicek and Timothy O’Donnell, as well as classical pieces. Visitors will be able to admire the soulful interpretations of excerpts from Michael Pink’s La Boheme, “Fly Me to the Moon” from the Ballet’s comic outreach show Space Case!, and the “Black Swan Pas de Deux” from Tschaikovsky’s Swan Lake. It is an exceptional chance to see the results of the public rehearsals and enjoy the talent of Milwaukee’s dancers.
Visit https://www.milwaukeeballet.org/community-engagement/school-community-programs/ballet-beat/ for more information.
