The Milwaukee Ballet will grace the stage of the new Indaba Band Shell at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care’s Bucyrus Campus. The free public performance is part of Ballet Beat, a program that brings professional dancers to outdoor stages, libraries and community centers throughout the Greater Milwaukee area for interactive activities and performances.
“This will be the first time we present a show of this scale in the Lindsay Heights/Park West neighborhood,” said Alyson Chavez, Milwaukee Ballet’s director of community engagement. “We’re excited to introduce our passion and our art form to this new audience.”
The 75-minute performance of classical and contemporary ballet will feature nine dancers from the Ballet Beat company and the Milwaukee Ballet II program for young dancers. Special guest performers include dancers from Xalaat Africa Drum and Dance for Life, a performance and competitive ensemble from Milwaukee High School of The Arts; Daniela Orozco, a Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy student; and Kimi McKissic, representing the Restore Arts Festival.
Pre-show music, from 12 noon-1 p.m., will be performed by Yaya Kambaye, master drummer and founder of Xalaat Africa Drum and Dance for Life. The show will be followed by a reception with refreshments where the audience can meet and take photos with the dancers.
The Indaba (Swahili for “gathering place”) Band Shell is a brand-new entertainment venue opened on the Bucyrus Campus’ 7.5-acre grounds in early June. It features a hillside audience area with a capacity of 250 people and a shaded, wheelchair-accessible seating area in front of the stage. The band shell was built by St. Ann Center in partnership with Parklawn Assembly of God Church with the aim of bringing family-friendly entertainment to the north side community.
“It’s always our hope that we’ll see one of the children from these events in our ballet studios one day, or see a family in our theater,” Chavez said about the month-long summer tour throughout the city. “But knowing we’ve created a memorable experience for that family is fulfilling in itself.”
On Friday, July 19, dancers from Milwaukee Ballet II will present a free workshop for the children and adult clients in St. Ann Center’s Bucyrus Campus day care program. Dancers will read ballet-themed stories to the youngsters and involve all ages in interactive dance activities.
Ballet Beat, now in its third year of programming, is made possible through partnerships with Greater Milwaukee Foundation, UPAF Connect and Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation and is supported in part by a grant from Milwaukee Arts Board and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.
For more information about the Ballet Beat performance at the Indaba Band Shell, contact Gloria Miller at (414) 210-2428 or gmiller@stanncenter.org.