Dance – an intuitive perspective

June 12, 2025

PSA: No Studio’s Dance Fest 2025: A Celebration of Movement and Culture: August 2, 2025!

Ailey II by Nir Arieli. Photo courtesy of No Studios

MILWAUKEE, Wis: Nō Studios, a center for the creative arts and activism in downtown Milwaukee, is thrilled to announce that tickets for Dance Fest 2025 are officially on sale on the Nō Studios website. Now in its fourth year, Dance Fest continues to grow, bringing together a powerful lineup of world-class talent, including Ailey II, Madison Ballet, House of Jit, Visceral Dance, Madd Rhythms, Water Street Dance Milwaukee, and more.

Hosted in partnership with New York’s Joyce Theater, one of the only theaters in the U.S. built specifically for dance, this year marks a new milestone as Ailey II headlines the festival. The event will take place at the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Peck Pavilion on Saturday, August2, 2025, setting the stage for a celebration of artistry and cultural vibrancy. Festival-goers will experience a wide variety of dance genres, including ballet, salsa, African-inspired, Irish stepdance, and contemporary.

“Dance Fest brings together some of the most exciting and original performers from around the country,” said John Ridley, founder of Nō Studios. “With Ailey II leading the lineup, this year’s festival is shaping up to be something truly special; a one-day event where creativity, culture,and community take center stage in Milwaukee. This is an opportunity to witness extraordinary talent from across the Midwest and beyond.”

Dance Fest will once again be curated by Morgan Williams, a celebrated choreographer and the founder of Water Street Dance Milwaukee. “Every year, Dance Fest brings together some of the most inspiring and diverse dance companies from across the country.” said Williams, “It’s a powerful reminder of how dance transcends boundaries and unites us in the spirit of creativity and celebration. I can’t wait for the community to witness the magic we’ve curated this year.”

The event will be emceed by Danni Gee, Director of Programming for New York City’s The Joyce Theater. “Our mission at The Joyce is to celebrate the full spectrum of dance, and Dance Fest brings that to life in such a vibrant way,” said Gee. “We’re thrilled to partner with Nō Studios again to showcase artists who are expanding the language of movement. With ticket sales now live, I urge everyone to secure their spot for a front-row view of this incredible celebration.” Danni is also partnering with Tempo, Wisconsin’s largest professional women’s organization, for an onstage conversation.

Dance Fest 2025 will feature performances by:
● Ailey II (New York, NY): The next generation of dance, AILEY’s second company is renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the next generation with the creative vision of emerging choreographers.
● Water Street Dance Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI): Dedicated to exploring diversity within their art, artists, and audiences, the company is renowned for their athletic, innovative, and entertaining performances. They were named to Dance Magazine’s “25
to Watch” list in 2024.
● Madison Ballet (Madison, WI): Wisconsin’s second-largest dance organization is under the direction of Ja’ Malik and is focused on building a better community through art.
● House of Jit (Detroit, MI): Celebrating the legacy and energy of Detroit’s street dance
culture.
● Visceral Dance (Chicago, IL): A contemporary dance company pushing boundaries through powerful choreography.
● Madd Rhythms (Chicago, IL): Chicago’s premier tap company, celebrated for their rhythm and innovation.

Dance Fest will take place at the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s outdoor Peck Pavilion, along the Milwaukee River. The family-friendly festival will also include youth dance performances, community-focused daytime programs, live music, guided yoga, and a market with local vendors. It will also feature a conversation with Danni Gee Vendors are encouraged to apply for participation at info@nostudios.com, and the full event schedule will be posted to nostudios.com/dance-fest-2025 in the coming weeks.

Water Street Dance Milwaukee by Katstiennon. Photo courtesy of No Studios.

“Hosting Dance Fest at Peck Pavilion is an honor,” said Kevin Giglinto, President & CEO of the Marcus Performing Arts Center. “This festival not only brings world-class dance to Milwaukee but also aligns with our own commitment to the community with diverse and powerful performing arts experiences. We’re thrilled to open our doors to the vibrancy and energy that Dance Fest brings each year.”

Dance Fest is sponsored by the Marcus Performing Arts Center, The Joyce Theater, and media partner WISN 12 News. To buy tickets, please visit nostudios.com/dance-fest-2025.

Extra Credit Reading: The program is here

January 9, 2025

PSA: UWM’s Department of Dance Presents Winter Dances: Perfectly Wild

Editorial comment: This is one of my favorite events at UWM during the spring semester!

Jan 30-Feb 2, 2025 – Mainstage Theatre + Livestream*

Artistic Direction by Daniel Burkholder & Dan Schuchart

Winterdances: Perfectly Wild presents dance that blurs the line between the magical and mundane, traces the rivers of Milwaukee, reflects on the haunting legacy of Japanese internment, and empowers the fierce bonds of womanhood. These dances dive into our shared humanity, the challenges we all face, and offer a vision of how we might gather strength by coming together in community.

Choreography by Los Angeles-based Hip Hop choreographer Jackie Lopez and Dance faculty members Daniel Burkholder, Tiffany Kadani, and Dan Schuchart.

For information or to order tickets, click here!

And the program will be here when it is ready.

November 18, 2023

Milwaukee Repertory Theater Launches The Holiday Season with Nuncrackers!

Yes, Nuncrackers, and it’s exactly what you think it is. The hilarious and slightly dysfunctional nuns of Nunsense are poised to bring you a portion of the Nutcracker ballet with pink tutus at the ready…but sudden disaster and hilarity ensues!

Do you need to have seen the original Nunsense to understand Nuncrackers? Heavens no! Like any successful sequel, author and composer, Dan Goggin has made sure that the characters are re-introduced and that any required story from Nunsense is back filled here. And quite frankly, I think that Nuncrackers might be even funnier if you don’t have knowledge of the original and come into the theater without any expectations or preconceived notions. But maybe that’s just me.

So here we are in the basement of the convent at Mount Saint Helen’s School, as Sister Mary Paul, Sister Mary Hubert, Sister Robert Anne, and Sister Mary Regina prepare to tape a Christmas show in their new TV studio for a public access channel. And they are being assisted by Father Virgil…not necessarily ably assisted but enthusiastically so!

photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater

The action revolves around the nuns presenting Christmas carols and some new songs that riff off of Christmas carols. There is an incredible amount of humor to be mined here! And in between the singing and dancing…Mr. Goggin has sprinkled in a generous supply of jokes, puns, and little skits. The front facing story is a lot, lot of fun!

There are a number of side bars here…they happen off stage and are relayed by our favorite nuns…or they are translated for us from several interrupting phone calls delivered by a black rotary dial wall phone. The phone and the mention of public access television, for me, was a bit of humor on its own since those are things are so very last century!

Fortunately for Milwaukee audiences, director and choreographer Kelley Faulkner understands the gags and songs and nuisances to a tee and has assembled the perfect ensemble to bring us the Little Sisters of Hoboken and of course Father Virgil! This troupe plays together like they have been a team for years. The rhythms and timing of the jokes is as quick and sure as the songs and dance numbers. All of the principles are remarkable in their roles. And after reading their bios in the playbill, I was amazed that three of our five actors have appeared on other local stages but are debuting at the Rep…and our other two intrepid nuns are debuting here as well. After this performance, I am sure that we will be able to enjoy their work in future Rep presentations for years to come.

Seth K Hale is Father Virgil…a role of a very humble and disarming priest but obviously inspired to assist the nuns to the best of his ability…and he is something of a ham as well. Hale embodies the character through and through.

As Sister Mary Regina, Ashley Ovidedo is an absolute scene stealer. An infectious presence on stage, I don’t think I have ever seen anyone adopt the character so absolutely as Oviedo does here. It was a literal thrill to watch.

And my goodness, the song and dance chops of Katie Kallaus as Sister Mary Paul, Meka King as Sister Mary Hubert, and Isabel Quintero as Sister Mary Regina are flawless…add to that their comedic gifts…and you have the perfect Nuncrackers! I really think that this is one show where the actors are having more fun than the audience.

Now, without being too much the spoiler, three things to watch for. The arrival of the Three Kings, the dueling sugar plum fairies, and the puppet. I hadn’t been promised a puppet, so I was amazed and pleased at its appearance.

Nuncrackers is my recommended start for this holiday season! And arrive early and have dinner and a refreshing beverage!!

Nuncrackers runs through January 7, 2024 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Stackner Cabaret. But this is an extremely popular musical, so don’t dawdle on acquiring tickets. You can do that HERE!

Extra Credit Reading: The Program