Bohemian Fun: The Milwaukee Ballet’s world premiere of Michael Pink’s La Bohème was celebrated with much frivolity at the fabulous Hamilton bar. After the ever-eloquent Pink described his upcoming oeuvre, revelers at the “Bohemian Rhapsody: A Salon Party” danced to Robin Pluer and Mrs. Fun, sipped Guy Rehorst’s absinthe, painted with MIAD’s Marcus Wendricks and Milwaukee Ballet II’s Israel Garcia Chenge and Garrett Glassman, and nibbled Boho Bites, courtesy of Trocadero/Lowlands Group.
Circulating Milwaukee Ballet dancers included Yuki Clark, Marc Petrocci, Isaac Sharratt, Nicole Teague, Susan Gartell, Justin Bohan and Luz San Miguel. Also from the company were Director of Education Alyson Chavez, Development Director Angela Reilly, Donor Relations Assistant Anna Steinmetz, and special events and promotions coordinator Molly Canan.
Spotted in the packed party space were Maxine Wishner and Anne and Tom Metcalfe of We Energies. Metcalfe’s parents are flying in from England for the production’s opening night. Also there were Randy and elegant-in-black Kathy Crocker, Stanley and Shirley Kritzik, Gail Lione, Donald and Donna Baumgartner, and Tony and Susan Krausen.
A Moving Experience: Audiences circulated through multiple performance areas at The Brewery, including its rooftop parking lot, to experience Wild Space Dance Company’s exciting “Milwaukee 360.” Throughout the weekend, fans enjoyed repeat presentations despite chilly weather. From the dance world there were UW-Milwaukee Dance Department chair Simone Ferro; Oni Dance’s Maria Gillespie; Christina Winslow Briggs of UWM Peck School of the Arts; MPS dance educator Shirley Gilbert; Dani Kuepper of Danceworks and her husband, Ryan; dancer/choreographers Kelly Anderson, Catey Ott and Joelle Worm; and performance artist Pegi Christiansen and her husband, Dale.
|
|
Guests included percussionist/composer Seth Warren-Crow, Present Music’s Kevin Stalheim, Noele Stollmack of the Florentine Opera, actors David Flores and Michelle Waide, and Shepherd columnist Joel McNally and his wife, Kit. Wild Space Artistic Director Deb Loewen and Managing Director Sheri Urban supervised the dozen-plus dancers along with musicians Tim Russell and Nick Zoulek, while videographer Keith Knox documented the performance.
Scribes Cavort: At the Milwaukee Press Club’s annual meeting, seasoned journalist Mary Van de Kamp Nohl was elected president. With David Niles leading the investiture, H. Carl Mueller then received a prestigious Knights of Bohemia white sash, with sons Isaiah and C.J. cheering on "Sir Dad." From Mueller’s office were Sarah Kikkert, Melanie Hochschild, Lori Richards and Phill Trewyn. Also knighted was Children's Hospital communications guru Julie Pedretti, accompanied by Rick Swider. John Fauber was named a Knight of the Golden Quill, with wife LuAnn and daughters Remi and Campbell applauding.
Art Fun: Art devotees squeezed into Taylor’s for the ninth annual ART POP, an art auction to benefit the upcoming AIDS Walk Wisconsin and honor Sandy Kleba by raising $10,000 to name an exam room in her memory at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin’s (ARCW) clinic. More than 100 artists and creatives decorated 7-inch square wooden blocks; the results included a portrait of Queen Elizabeth by Taylor’s Dan Taylor, the event’s impresario, as well as an extruding gold male member and a painting of Sandy Kleba’s smile by Kristin Wollenberg. Checking in patrons were Liz Steward, Bill Martin and Jan Baldus.
Eyeing the art were Taylor’s parents Rosie and Bill and brother Richard with his wife, Lynn Lucius. Also seen were Aurora Health Care's Jerry Janis, Joe Pabst and his sister Lorna de Acosta, in town from Arizona for the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Safe Haven Foster Program fundraiser, U.S. Bank's Andy Cicero, Aurora’s Michael Johnson, Michael Jonas from Hunger Task Force, Chad Hirsch from Sheboygan’s Duke of Devon, artist Dan Petry, commercial artist Dan Musha, Ken Yandell from BYO Studio Lounge, Roger Ramjet, designer/painter Mark Towne, Realtor Dan Anderson, attorney Claudia Egan and Michael Flaherty.
Representing ARCW were Vice President and Chief Development Officer Dan Mueller, Director of Special Events Mary Hartwig, Molly Neuleib, Krista Emmons, Kathy Fargo, Jenny Weber and the recently retired Cliff Heise, plus Brian Warnecke, a 20-year AIDS Walk volunteer.
The Big 100: The Rotary Club of Milwaukee’s “Century of Making a Difference” centennial celebration kicked off with a black tie gala for 300 at the Pfister Hotel. President Rick White welcomed the assemblage, while Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed it “Rotary Day.” Mason Wells’ Tom Smith, there with his wife, Genie, announced a new Rotary scholarship.
Partying were the Bentley brothers: Tom with Lauren Heiter and Todd and wife Sarah. From the Zilber Group was new member Mike Mervis with his wife, Mary Ellen McCormack-Mervis. Other new Rotarians were Denasha Scott with her husband, George Charnecki, and Beth Fetterley Heller with her husband, Fred. Photographer B. Artin Haig, in Rotary since 1947, was there with his daughter Dolores Mishelow.
Other celebrators were Steve Duback and Buffy Cheek, Nick and Stoney Wilson, Beth and Dan Davis, Joe Caruso, Bill and Elana Rotter, Valerie and Dan Stefanich, and Sharon and Tom Gale, one of the Live @ the Lakefront founders. Singer Becky Spice and pianist Jamie Johns entertained before he rushed off to conduct at the Skylight Music Theatre’s Avenue Q.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Oct. 18 issue of the Shepherd.
