Milwaukee Ballet

In a blue-collar town known more for its breweries than its ballet, Milwaukee Ballet has amassed a rich history of commissioning new works and performing regular favorites in its four decades. 

 

MB’s repertoire is a mix of contemporary works, ballet classics and new works, some of which come from the company’s biannual choreography competition.

 

“My professional goal has always been to balance artistic aspiration with audience expectation,” says Artistic Director Michael Pink, now in his fifth season with the company. “That doesn’t mean serving up a potpourri of diluted classical or contemporary ballet that is just going to keep people happy. There is a responsibility for us to educate our audiences in ways that build confidence in the company.”

 

Pink’s commitment to bringing high quality productions to the stage doesn’t mean they aren’t fun. Take for instance Margo Sappington’s ballet Common People, set to the music of Ben Folds with vocals by actor William Shatner. The company will reprise the popular ballet in 2009 to coincide with the release of a documentary on the making of it.

 

Dancers also enjoy the rehearsal process. “There is an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration in the studio,” says 33-year-old leading artist Douglas McCubbin. 

 

Pink says he likes to create an environment where people can be comfortable exploring the many sides of their personalities as well as their dance technique. “Michael is very generous and easy to work with,” says Luz San Miguel, 31, another leading artist in the company. 

 

MB has no established dancer hierarchy, and according to McCubbin, “There is no cookie-cutter mold for dancers here, so choreographers are free to use whomever they want.” 

 

In his quest to ensure MB’s future, Pink has also instituted a plan to stabilize the company’s finances and build a long-term endowment. By restructuring the company’s administration, including outsourcing most of its marketing efforts to a public relations firm, Pink has already broken the company’s several-year cycle of operating in the red. “We are far more aggressive in operating as a business and an arts organization,” says Pink.

 

The company and its affiliated school own its 1800s-era building, which was once a Schlitz beer garden. The facility houses four studios, offices and a full costume shop with space for more than 3,000 costumes.

 

As MB builds on its success, Pink urges people to look beyond the East and West Coasts for excellent ballet. “The quality in those large companies is amazing, but they aren’t the only ones,” says Pink. “If you look around the rest of the country, there are some great dancers and really great productions.”