Milwaukee Ballet and the Ballet Beat program

Milwaukee Ballet announces its Ballet Beat summer program will launch June 24, 2019. Now in its third year, this month-long tour of free activities and performance brings professional dancers into libraries, community centers and senior centers throughout the Greater Milwaukee area.

“Connecting communities through inspiring performances and community engagement is a core component of Milwaukee Ballet’s mission. Ballet Beat gives us the opportunity to take dance OUT into the streets. This series of pop-up performances and workshops will introduce the diversity and skills of our dancers to the community at large,” said Milwaukee Ballet Artistic Director Michael Pink. “This will be a first-time experience for many, and we hope it will inspire a little curiosity and create their first step towards an appreciation of dance and the arts.”

Milwaukee Ballet launched this program in 2017 to reach deeper into the community during summer, when ballet companies are traditionally in their off-season. This year,Ballet Beat has expanded to 20 events in 13 zip codes, including specialized activities for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Next Door and St. Ann’s Intergenerational Center.

Milwaukee Ballet will also host activities open to the public at Milwaukee’s most popular summer events, including Bastille Days, Washington Park Wednesdays and KidZ Days at Marcus Performing Arts Center. The four-week tour concludes with two free performances on outdoor stages: July 18 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Peck Pavilion and July 20 at St Ann Center’s new Indaba Band Shell. The performance at the Band Shell will be the first time Milwaukee Ballet will present a show of this scale in the 53205-zip code.

This year’s roster has increased to seven of Milwaukee Ballet’s professional Company dancers and two from Milwaukee Ballet II: Josiah Cook, Randy Crespo, Elizabeth Harrison, Marie Harrison-Collins, Itzel Hernandez, Barry Molina, Lizzie Tripp, with Isaac Allen and Anna Gonzalez of Milwaukee Ballet II.

Milwaukee Ballet serves 38,000 people each year through Community Engagement programs like Ballet Beat.

For Ticket Information and to Register for these free events visit milwaukeeballet.org.

Image courtesy of  Milwaukee Ballet