Your Impact
Milwaukee Ballet is filled with gratitude and pride at our commitment and continual growth related to artistic excellence, Community Engagement, and education and training. Our work in these areas, and the impact it has, would not be possible without the wonderful support of our many donors and partners.
On the Stage: World Class Artistry in Milwaukee
Milwaukee Ballet Company brings a caliber of dance that helps elevate our city’s reputation as a culturally vibrant destination and place to live. Michael Pink’s story ballets are known around the world for his theatrical storytelling. During Michael’s two decades in Milwaukee, he has premiered five full-length original ballets, including Peter Pan, which was staged for the third time in May. Four of these works feature commissioned original scores.
Michael has instilled in our Company a commitment to present new works. We are proud to have presented 78 world premieres over the past 20 years. We also welcome guest choreographers to our stages year after year to share diverse perspectives, interpretations, and voices through dance.
In the Studios: Shaping Dancers of Tomorrow
Students as young as two years old get to have their first exploration of movement and dance through Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy (MBSA). Students have the opportunity to progress and pursue a dance education, through the Children’s and Student Division, into the Academy, and even audition for a coveted place in the Pre-Professional Program.
MBSA is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, making us a leader in dance education in the Midwest, and allowing us to serve international dance students.
For more than 30 years, students from partner Milwaukee Public Schools have had the opportunity to explore dance classes through the Relevé outreach program. Many choose to then continue their education as an MBSA student, often with scholarship or financial aid through funding and donor support.
The Pre-Professional Program and Milwaukee Ballet II Second Company further put Milwaukee on the map, drawing students and young dancers from around the world, to work toward a career in ballet.
In the Community: Sharing the Benefits of Dance
Studies show that dance enhances our physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being, and we believe that all who enjoy dance feel the benefits.
Participants in our various Community Engagement programs gain from the merits of dance in different, personal ways. Tour de Force students express themselves through creative movement. They feel the exhilaration of reaching benchmarks set for them by physical therapists, as they imitate the graceful steps and carriage of our dancers who serve as their instructors.
MBSA students learn discipline, creative self-expression, perseverance, and hard work–lifelong skills they will carry with them and will help them succeed in any career.
Wisconsin residents and visitors from surrounding states have their imaginations stimulated when they experience a Milwaukee Ballet performance. Our guests are transported for a short time to another place or another way of thinking, through thrilling stories and awe-inspiring dance innovations.
Milwaukee Ballet adds to our lives in countless ways. From beautifully staged productions that inspire youth to devote years of study to this artistic discipline, to the movement therapies that apply the principles of ballet, dance gives us practical and intangible benefits that no other art form can provide.
