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This concert is generously sponsored by Tim and Sue Frautschi

A NOTE FROM THE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Christal Wagner and Gina Laurenzi

A note from the Artistic Directors:

We are thrilled to return to the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center to share Fables from the Wide Sky. If this is your first Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE) concert, welcome! We are delighted you are here. If you’ve been with us all year long, you might recall that we began the 24-25 season with dis/connect back in November. The performance of dis/connect traveled between the two studios at Danceworks and explored our dependence on technology revealing the wondrous positive effects sparked by reconnection with self, each other, and the environment and featured the duo Dustin Laurenzi and Jeff Swanson blending earthly sounds and electronics. In February, we brought the much loved Rusalka back to the stage. Rusalka featured six DPMKE dancers and our longtime collaborators Jason Powell and Milwaukee Opera Theatre. In March, you may have joined us for our Gala at the beautiful Calvary Presbyterian Church. That night we reflected upon the rich history of Danceworks, and looked into the future through an evening of celebration, original films and performances. Our evening was made complete by the mood lighting sculpted by Colin Gawronski and live music and original compositions of Allen Russell. This last concert of the season is a wonderful way to close out an absolutely spectacular year of creativity as it features the extension of our community as it highlights choreography and performances by the many creative voices at Danceworks. 

Wide Sky concerts, originally conceived by Founding Artistic Director Sarah Wilbur, were created as a platform for intergenerational performers to explore expansive ideas on a focused theme through dance. This season’s theme—fables—offers a window into human nature, presenting timeless morals through fantastical, often anthropomorphic storytelling. Six Danceworks Company members, one guest choreographer, and four distinct Danceworks performance groups delve into these rich narratives through premiere choreographic works. Peter Stathas has created his first work on DPMKE over a two week residency this spring and company members dove into a condensed rehearsal process crafting brand new works that explore their take on the theme. A special collaboration between Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra brings “Huapango,” a classic folk tune of Mexican origin to life.

Our Apprentice, Youth, and Intergenerational companies offer tender works that bring new perspectives as they join DPMKE in this final concert to wrap up the season. 

This performance invites us to consider life’s valuable lessons; which fables are familiar to you? Which lessons resonate? Sometimes literal and other times abstract, what do the evening’s choreographic works teach you? Let us settle into the art, step into wonder, and ponder the lessons explored together in Fables from the Wide Sky.

Enjoy ~ G & C

Danceworks Co-artistic Directors: Gina Laurenzi & Christal Wagner

Lighting Design: Colin Gawronski

DPMKE Performing Artists: Katelyn Altmann, Ashley Ray Garcia, Zoe Mei Glise, Greta Jenkins, Jessica Lueck, Kaitlyn Moore, Tessa Ritchey, Elisabeth Roskopf, Halle Sivertson, Gabi Sustache, Christal Wagner

DAPC Performing Artists: Rachel Alford, Dianne Kotsonis, Jamie Riddle, Kayla Siedlecki, Katie Speltz, Shannon Stanczak, Rae Zimmerli, Anya Kluesner (not performing)

DIPC Performing Artists: Bob Balderson, Julie Borouchoff, Tracey Gessner, Katrina Hjelmgren, Tom Hjelmgren, Jeanne Kollmeyer, Annie Wegner LeFort, Mary Ann Mitchell, Judy Levine (not performing)

DYPC Performing Artists: Ruby Adams, Elsie Barnes, Izabella Bredeson, Abbie Cashman, Wren Didier, Erin Frailing, Anna Freshwater, Belle Marks, Sadaqah Matthews, Marcia Olson, Ellen Richards, Liam Rinderle, Ariela Rivera, Eva Sotolongo, Sydney Zussman

THE PROGRAM

THE SUN AND THE WIND
Choreography: Peter Stathas and DPMKE dancers

Performers:  Katelyn Altmann, Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro, Ashley Ray Garcia, Zoe Mei Glise, Greta Jenkins, Jessica Lueck, Kaitlyn Moore, Tessa Ritchey, Elisabeth Roskopf, Gabi Sustache, Halle Sivertson, Christal Wagner.

Music: Gene Takes a Drink; Michael Gordon, Bang On A Can All-Stars; Sonata # 10 B Flat Major Largo Guiseppe Tartini, Lugi De Filippi; Dances Zulu, African Drums 

Notes: Thank you so much to DPMKE for allowing me to collaborate with this wonderful company of dancers!! And for their openness to our process and the richness and fullness of their movement. Special thanks to Christal Wagner for befriending me, and welcoming me and my Company, Peter Stathas Dance, into the Milwaukee dance community.

Fable, folktale or story referenced: The Wind and the Sun, Fables of Aesop. A dispute arose between the wind and  the sun, which was the stronger of the two. They agreed that whichever soonest made a traveler take off his/her cloak should be more powerful. As much as I researched to find a “fable” without a “moral” ending, I could not. So, I changed the cloaked character in this fable into 2 people, so there might be a split decision. Didn’t work that way. As the sunshine of a kind and gentle manner will sooner lay open the heart than all the threatening and force of a blustering authority. Hmmmm…

O
Choreography: Gina Laurenzi in collaboration with dancers

Performers: Bob Balderson, Julie Borouchoff, Tracey Gessner, Katrina Hjelmgren, Tom Hjelmgren, Jeanne Kollmeyer, Mary Ann Mitchell, Annie Wegner LeFort, Judy Levine (not performing)

Music: Zoë Keating

Fable, folktale or story referenced: “The Ant and the Dove” from Aesop’s Fables. This story stresses the importance of kindness, the interconnectedness of all living things, and reminds us that one good deed can lead to another.

THE UGLY DOLL
Choreography: Christal Wagner

Performer and Singer: Cuauhtli Ramírez Castro

Music: La Muñeca Fea by Francisco Gabilondo Soler (“Cri-Cri”) 

Notes: Thank you to Cuauhtli for discovering this music and introducing the story that inspired it.

Fable, folktale or story referenced: Written by Mexican composer Cri-Cri, La Muñeca Fea (“The Ugly Doll”) tells the tender story of a forgotten toy who finds comfort in unlikely friends. A metaphor for resilience and belonging, the song reminds us that love and worth endure, even when we feel discarded.

LINGER LONGER
Choreography: Halle Sivertson 

Performers: Ashley Ray Garcia, Greta Jenkins, Gabi Sustache, Elisabeth Roskopf, Kaitlyn Moore, Jessica Lueck, Halle Sivertson 

Music: Linger Longer – Instrumental by Cosmo Sheldrake, Wriggle – Instrumental by Cosmo Sheldrake 

Notes: Thank you to my Hares for your wonder, whimsy, and wiggles. 

Fable, folktale or story referenced: Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare 

THE POWER OF US
Choreography: Gabi Sustache

Performers: Anna Freshwater, Ariela Rivera, Elsie Barnes, Erin Frailing, Eva Sotolongo, Liam Rinderle, Ruby Adams, Sadaqah Matthews

Music: “Keepers of The Keys & Seals” & “A Rose in Spanish Harlem” by Nicholas Britell

Fable, folktale or story referenced: Aesop’s fable, “The Old Man and His Sons, focuses on the importance of working together and supporting each other to achieve a greater strength.

ARTEMIS
Choreography: Jessica Lueck in collaboration with dancers

Performers: Katelyn Altmann, Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro, Ashley Ray Garcia, Zoe Mei Glise, Greta Jenkins, Christal Wagner

Music: Zebulon by FESTIVAL, Lyke Wake Dirge by Cerys Hafana 

Notes: Thank you so much to the dancers who worked so diligently in this quick process! The ideas and willingness to go for it has made this such a joy! 

Fable, folktale or story referenced: The myth referenced is that of Artemis and Orion, who meet on a hunt, become inseparable except by death.

UNSHAKEN, UNFOLDING
Choreography: Gabi Sustache

Performers: Abbie Cashman, Belle Marks, Ellen Richards, Izabella Bredeson, Marcia Olson, Sydney Zussman, Wren Didier

Music: “Shiver” by Hector Plimmer 

Fable, folktale or story referenced: “The Wisest Old Owl” emphasized the importance of balance, the value of resilience and the power of compassion.The realization that true self-discovery was not about becoming someone else, but about embracing your own unique qualities and strengths.   

BRELL
Choreography: Katelyn Altmann

Performers: Zoe Mei Glise, Jessica Lueck, Cuauhtli Ramírez-Castro, Halle Sivertson

Music: Julia Kent, Gasper Claus

Costume: Katelyn Altmann

Notes:  In a time when division can feel more present than unity, this dance becomes a metaphor for how inclusion transforms us. The umbrella, at first barely big enough for one, becomes vast enough for many, not through magic, but through generosity of spirit. BRELL reminds us that kindness doesn’t cost us our shelter…it expands it. When we welcome others in, we all stay dry. We all move forward, together.

Thank you to Nicolet High Shcool for allowing us to use these beautiful umbrellas!


Fable, folktale or story referenced: The Big Umbrella by Amy June-Bates. This sweet fable uses an umbrella to demonstrate the importance of kindness and the power of inclusion. “There’s always room for everyone under the big umbrella” It doesn’t matter if you are tall, have a tail or have plaid skin. All are welcome!

A boundlessly inclusive spirit…This open-ended book creates a natural springboard for discussion.” – Booklist

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Choreography: Gina Laurenzi

Performer: Ashley Ray Garcia

Music: José González

Fable, folktale or story referenced: “The Lion and the Mouse” from Aesop’s Fables. This story emphasizes the importance of kindness, compassion, and gratitude.

THE WISDOM PASSED DOWN
Choreography: Ashley Ray Garcia

Performer: Greta Jenkins, Katilyn Moore, Elisabeth Roskopf, Gabi Sustache

Music: Michael Wall

Other Credits: Platform Sculpture: Mike Rea *Use of platform courtesy of Maria Gillespie, and UWM Dance.

Notes: This piece reflects the moral of the story: trust your intuition. It plays with trusting yourself and when you question yourself, find people you trust to help you find your way back to yourself.

Fable, folktale or story referenced: This piece references “The Doll in Her Pocket: Vasalisa the Wise.” After the death of her mother, Vasalisa is given a doll and told to trust this doll’s advice whenever it is given. Her father soon remarries to a woman who has two step sisters. They send Vasalisa to Baba Yaga for firewood hoping she will never return from the dangerous visit. While visiting Baba Yaga, she follows every word the doll gives her, and not only does she survive the journey, but also gets the reward to save her family from a cold winter. The doll represents her intuition and the wisdom passed down from the women before her. 

VENTURE
Choreography: Gina Laurenzi

Performer: Elisabeth Roskopf

Music: Julia Kent

Fable, folktale or story referenced: Based on “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea” by Axie Oh, this modern retelling of a Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong” contains themes about fate, sacrifice, and transformation.

MUST HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN
Choreography: Tessa Ritchey in collaboration with dancers

Performers: Katelyn Altmann, Zoe Mei Glise, Greta Jenkins & Kaitlyn Moore 

Music: Score edited by Tessa Richey; Bathroom Dance by Hildur Guõnadóttir & Parola by Anna Caragnano. 

Notes: I just would like to take a moment to thank my beautiful cast of Dancers! They each are such groovy and strong movers and I am honored to have worked with them in this capacity. 

Fable, folktale or story referenced: This piece is loosely a reference to “The Hare & The Tortoise.” The well known moral of the story is that patience, along with consistency, can be the magical ingredients to win a race; however, I believe there is a second moral. The hare assumed & expected he would win because of what he believed to be true about the tortoise. This piece touches on the power and strength that is present within individuals to overcome expectations and assumptions that are set upon them. 

…ON THE WALL
Choreography: Gina Laurenzi

Performers: Rachel Alford, Dianne Kotsonis, Jamie Riddle, Kayla Siedlecki, Katie Speltz, Shannon Stanczak, Rae Zimmerli

Music: Dustin O’Halloran & Johann Sebastian Bach

Fable, folktale or story referenced: Loosely based on “The Dog and his Reflection” from Aesop’s Fables but also a painting by Ivan Albright, “Into the World There Came a Soul”, and the story of Narcissus; this dance piece weaves together ideas around the passing of time, beauty standards, vanity, greed and narcissism.

WE ARE THE GARDEN
Choreography: Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro in collaboration with dancers 

DPMKE Performers: Zoe Mei Glise, Christal Wagner, Katelyn Altmann, Ashley Ray Garcia, Greta Jenkins, Gabi Sustache, Elisabeth Roskopf, Kaitlyn Moore, Jessica Lueck, Halle Sivertson, Tessa Ritchey.

Music: Huapango,  José Pablo Moncayo / Orchestrated and arranged by Caleb Endres.

Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Performers:

Violin: Jay Suthan, Anna Lena DeRocher, Yiwen Ma

Viola: Caleb Endres, Haley Burns

Cello: Adela Ramirez, Gabby Peck

Bass: Lauren Gooden

Flute: Zack Muñoz

Clarinet: Rayna Kavalauskas

Bassoon: Gavin Hansen

Trumpet: Sean Gaez

Percussion: Nico Strichartz, Kyler Katanik

Notes: It’s 1901 in Mexico City during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. 42 gay men and queer people gathered in secret in a private home to dine, dance, and celebrate. That night an illegal raid was enacted under Díaz’s orders. 41 people were taken by the police, publicly humiliated, sent to prison or forced to draft into the military and then sent to die in the south. All of them were members of high society, all of them had money, connections, power, and status… they probably thought nothing like that would ever happen to them.

This work is not a depiction of the event, but rather a prayer or spell, a call for a different ending for these tales of oppression. Let us be part of the waves that push towards collective liberation.

Fable, folktale or story referenced: The Dance of the 41 is a true story, but as fables do, this story has a moral too.

ABOUT

About DPMKE

Danceworks Performance MKE is the resident professional company of Danceworks, Inc., led by Gina Laurenzi and Christal Wagner. This season, we are excited to collaborate with composer Dustin Laurenzi and guest artist Jeff Swanson in dis/connect, as well as with Milwaukee Opera Theatre for the revival of the crowd favorite Rusalka. Additionally, we will join forces with Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Cuauhtli Ramírez Castro, and Peter Stathas in Fables from the Wide Sky. Our resident groups—Danceworks Apprentice MKE, Youth Performance Company, and our Intergenerational Company—are featured in Fables. Finally, longtime collaborator Allen Russell joins the company for the March Gala. DPMKE remains committed to celebrating the vitality and diversity of Milwaukee’s arts community by creating thought-provoking work with curiosity, virtuosity, and physicality.

Meet the Co-Artistic Directors

Christal Wagner and Gina Laurenzi are the Co-Artistic team leading Danceworks Performance MKE. The pair have 10+ years of experience with the company and have been dancing side by side since 2013. Gina and Christal share their creative efforts across 3 companies: Danceworks Performance MKE, Danceworks Apprentice MKE, and Danceworks Intergenerational Performance Company.

GINA LAURENZI

A mover, maker, researcher and educator, Gina Laurenzi (she/her) graduated from the University of WI-Milwaukee where she earned her MFA in dance. Before beginning her chapter in Milwaukee, Gina was awarded a  full merit scholarship to train at Giordano Dance Chicago, later performing with Giordano II and Inaside Chicago Dance, among other Chicago artists. For seven years, Laurenzi owned and operated Laurenzi Dance (Kenosha, WI). In her hometown of Kenosha, Laurenzi presented work regularly and mentored many local artists of all ages. Choreographing for many arts organizations every season, Laurenzi has set work on dancers of the UW-Milwaukee Dance Dept., Water Street Dance Milwaukee, Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC), Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE), Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Makaroff Youth Ballet (Appleton, WI),  Carthage dance students and the Milwaukee Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program students. Since living in Milwaukee, Laurenzi has been able to perform the works of Daniel Burkholder, Simone Ferro, Marie Gillespie, Dani Kuepper, Deb Loewen, Jenni Reinke, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Christal Wagner, and Morgan Williams. Currently performing with Wild Space, DPMKE and Hyperlocal MKE, Laurenzi works to maintain an active performance calendar and connections with many artists in the dance community. Laurenzi is presently a lecturer at the University of WI-Milwaukee and co-artistic director of Danceworks where she enjoys engaging in collaborative projects, working with artists of all ages, and building creative works of dance.

CHRISTAL WAGNER

Christal Wagner (she/they) is an Alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dance department (BFA) where she is also adjunct faculty. She is a screendance artist and has produced work as a cinematographer, performer, editor and director for Joe Goode, Josh Halverson, Maria Gillespie, Danceworks Inc, Milwaukee Dance Theatre Network, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, UWM Dance, The Saint Kate Arts Hotel, The Cactus Club, and Li Chiao-Ping Dance where she was a 2020 SEED Creation Fund grant recipient. Christal is the artistic director of Danceworks Performance MKE and has danced for Your Mother Dances, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, Dawn Springer Dance Projects, Skylight Music Theatre and spent 14 years as a company member with DPMKE. Christal is a cofounder of the music and dance trio Cadance Collective, co-creating pieces through processes where music and dance are worked on simultaneously through improvisational practices and original soundscapes. In 2020 Christal Wagner became the Saint Kate Art Hotel’s FIRST artist in co-residence. She is the recipient of 8 Wisconsin Jerry Awards for her work in musical theatre and has choreographed over 20 musicals in the city of Milwaukee. Christal’s mission is to support and elevate the voices of her community, collaborators, and fellow artists.

Meet the Artists of DPMKE
KATELYN ALTMANN

KATELYN ALTMANN

Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a movement-based artist, choreographer, and educator currently residing in Milwaukee, WI. She graduated magna cum laude, receiving her BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. Katelyn has performed in the works of Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Esmé Boyce, Daniel Burkholder, Simone Ferro, Melanie George, Maria Gillespie, Joe Goode, Holly Johnston, Dani Kuepper, Gina Laurenzi, Debra Loewen, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Christal Wagner and worked with artists such as Irene Dowd, Kathleen Hermesdorf, KJ Holmes, and Ishmael Huston-Jones among others. She is a current performance and collaborative artist with Danceworks Performance MKE(DPMKE), and Li Chiao Ping Dance, Wild Space Dance Company, and Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP).

Katelyn has presented both her solo and collaborative work throughout Milwaukee, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Her work, “soft ground, stiff shoulder” was selected to be presented at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Katelyn collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, which was presented at the North Central ACDA Conference. She has also furthered her education by training with the Milwaukee Ballet, GALLIM, Point Park University, Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation, Kegwin + Company, Bates Dance Festival/Gibney Connect, and Moving Queries (Set/Go, Lower Left). During her time at UW-Milwaukee, Altmann received two Undergraduate Research Fellowships immersed in movement research under Maria Gillespie. Katelyn’s work lives in embodied study, tested and realized through creation processes, improvisational strategies and performance. This takes shape through porous embodiment, visceral play, connection, and attunement.

ZOE MEI GLISE

ZOE MEI GLISE

Zoe Mei Glise is a choreographer, performer, and movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is currently a company member with Danceworks Performance Company (DPMKE), Wild Space Dance Company, and the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project (GLDP). Previously, Zoe danced as a company member with Madison Contemporary Dance, and was Nova Linea Contemporary Dance’s first company apprentice. Zoe received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Performance and Choreography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Throughout her years at UWM, Zoe worked with several guest artists and faculty members in performances and master classes including Mair Culbreth, Parijat Desai, Emma Draves, Yumelia Garcia, Joe Goode, Gina Laurenzi, Marina Magalhães, Caitlin Mahon, Tatiana Malinkine, Dan Schuchart, Kia Smith, and more. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, “Real Words” which was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association (ACDA).

Zoe has presented her work throughout Wisconsin, Montana, and Paris, France. In the summer of 2022, Zoe was selected to travel to Paris, France to attend the Camping Residency at the Centre National de le Danse, where her work, “what was, what is” was performed. Her solo, “blood, DNA, connection” was presented at the 2020 and 2021 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Zoe has been selected numerous times to choreograph for Danceworks’ Get It Out There concerts in Milwaukee, WI, as well as for performances with La Crosse Dance Centre in La Crosse, WI. Zoe has also attended multiple summer intensives in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah, and New York, working with companies such as the Joffrey Ballet, Wasatch Contemporary Dance, Nova Linea Contemporary Dance, and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Most recently, Zoe presented her debut evening length performance, “Uncommon Ground” held at Adventure Rock Milwaukee, as a way to blend her two passions—dance and rock climbing.

GRETA JENKINS

GRETA JENKINS

Greta Jenkins is a dance artist, choreographer, personal trainer and business owner. She’s been a Milwaukee resident for three years and grew up dancing in northern kentucky. She received her BFA in dance performance from Ball State University. While in school Greta had the opportunity to learn and perform the repertoire piece “Steps in the Street” by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Greta is also a company artist and rehearsal director with THREE POINT PROJECT. She’s performed with THREE POINT PROJECT artists in MashUp Contemporary Dance Company’s International Women’s Day Dance Festival as well as Geometry Dance Company’s season show WALK ON, both performances in Los Angeles. Greta is also the owner and founder of her personal training business Lifted by Greta where she aims to create a space where every person can embrace their pursuit of improved movement, strength, and confidence in their body’s unique quality of life. This is Greta’s third season with Danceworks Performance MKE.

JESSICA LUECK

JESSICA LUECK

Jessica Lueck is a dancer currently based in Milwaukee, WI. Through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee she has attained two degrees, one in Dance Performance and Choreography and the other in Information System and Technology. Through the duration of her time at UWM, she has studied modern, ballet, jazz, improvisation, composition, Alexander technique, laban movement analysis, applied anatomy, and numerous other master classes. She has also performed in works created for several UW-Milwaukee Faculty Shows, working with Artists such as Emma Draves, Daniel Burkholder, Maria Gillespie, Deb Loewen, Parijat Desai and Dawn Springer. Jessica has also studied abroad in 2022 through the Centre national de la Danse in Paris, France. In 2023, she attended SALT Link dance festival in Utah, working with Christian Denice and Nicole Von Arx. Before attending UWM, she has had training from the Milwaukee HighSchool of the Arts, where she studied modern, ballet, pointe and composition under Sandra Jordan and Dean Drews, with additional instructors such as Amie Ferrante and Petr Zahradníček assisting in her training. She has also had numerous Master classes during this period including Milwaukee Ballet and Alvin Ailey II Company and more. She is currently a dance instructor at B.Inspired dance, where she teaches numerous styles of dance to both Recreational and competitive students. Jessica also performs with Wildspace Company as a Freelance artist and has started her third with Danceworks Performance MKE.

KAITLYN MOORE

KAITLYN MOORE

Kaitlyn Moore is a Milwaukee-based dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2020 with a BA in Dance as well as a minor in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies. She has a passion for both performance and teaching and is able to continue both in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. Her passion for performance continued with opportunities such as dancing professionally as a Milwaukee Bucks Dancer as well as performing with musicians like Bell Biv DeVoe, Riolanza and WebsterX. Throughout her time at UW-Milwaukee, she had the opportunity to study under many talented professors and guest artists such as Mair Culbreth, Emma Draves, and Caitlin Mahon. Along with her training at UWM, Kaitlyn has trained with a variety of different companies, programs, and classes throughout Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Salt Lake City. Kaitlyn is thrilled to have this be her third season with DPMKE.

CUAHTLI RAMÍREZ CASTRO

CUAHTLI RAMÍREZ CASTRO

Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro (he/they) is a Mexican performing artist and dancer. They studied Performing Arts at the University of Guanajuato having a multidisciplinary approach, combining contemporary dance and acting techniques in his training. They have performed at the International Cervantino Festival (2016), as well as the Guanajuato International Film Festival (2015). They graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography (2021). During their time in Milwaukee, they have performed and collaborated in works by Maria Gillespie, Emma Draves, Bernard Brown, Li Chiao Ping, Joe Goode, Mair Culbreth, Amanda Lee, Cedar Becher, etc. In 2023 They were one of eight artists selected to co-create work for Dance for Diversity, an screen dance project by Elizabeth Roskopf with the intention of uplifting the voices of bipoc artists. They currently dance with Danceworks Performance MKE and Wild Space Dance Company.

ASHLEY RAY GARCIA

ASHLEY RAY GARCIA

Ashley Ray Garcia (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan. She received her BFA in Dance-Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Through her love of traveling, she has had the opportunity to perform in France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Garcia has shown work at Central de La Danse (Paris, France), Get It Out There MKE (Wisconsin), Collage Dance Festival, and RAD Fest (Michigan). In April 2024, she directed and choreographed her own evening-legth performance, For The Wolves. She is currently a company member of Wild Space Dance Company and Danceworks Performance Company while choreographing independently. Garcia enjoys choreographing, performing, and improvisation and looks forward to gaining knowledge through both exploring and experience. She also is a published author of her poetry book, Forget-Me-Not.

COLIN GAWRONSKI (Lighting Design)

Colin Gawronski is a lighting designer and theatrical technician native to Milwaukee who has worked extensively with Danceworks, Inc, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Sunstone Studios and Black Arts MKE/Bronzeville. They have worked with other local companies such as Renaissance Theaterworks, Wildspace, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and In Tandem Theatre. Colin has also worked with Theatre Lila, Third Avenue Playworks and Forward Theater. Favorite productions include: Stew, Out of Many One, ‘Neath the Hills of Bastogne, /maskəˈrād/, Dutchman, Black Nativity, Romeo & Juliet: A Theatre Lila Invention, Secrets From the Wide Sky, Daddy Long Legs, Spalding Grey: Stories Left to Tell, Stories From a Life, The Glass Menagerie, Serendipity, Birds of North America, My Fair Lady, Lamps For My Family, and Vagabondare. Give Love Always.

TESSA RITCHEY

TESSA RITCHEY

Tessa Ritchey (she/her) was born and raised in Walworth, Wisconsin, where she trained at The Dance Factory. She graduated from The University of Iowa in 2018 with a B. F. A in Dance Performance and Choreography. Tessa has furthered her training by attending intensives such as American Dance Festival, ELSCO Dance Intensive, NW Dance Projects Five Dance Days, the Gypsy Project and Water Street Dance Festival. While in College Tessa apprenticed for Dance In the Parks, in Chicago, where she was able to perform and help run the shows. Along with performance experience, she has had multiple of her own choreographic works produced by the university, one of which was selected to perform at the 2018 ACDA North Central Conference. After college, Tessa has had her work presented at the College of DuPage’s Choreographic Showcase, MADCO 2’s Dare To Dance, Trifecta’s A New Light, the Iowa Dance Festival, Emergence, SMUSH Moves Vol. 7, JELLO and MKE Fringe. Tessa has had the privilege of working with Alluvion, a Chicago Dance Company, premiering a work in 2019 as well as this 2023. Tessa has accepted the position of Artistic Director for Alluvion, a Chicago based dance company, where she has previously set work on them in 2019 & 2023. This will be her first season as Artistic Director and is excited for the growth that will come with this role. Tessa has been a Company Dancer with Danceworks Performance MKE for three seasons now.

ISAAC JERIN ROBERTSON

ISAAC JERIN ROBERTSON

Isaac Jerin Robertson (He/They) has been passionately involved in the art of dance and dance making for over 17 years. Robertson first started their training in post modern and Graham styles under the direction of Lisa Andrea Thurrell and Robert E. Cleary. Isaac also studied classical ballet at Madison Ballet under the direction of W. Earl Smith. Later, from 2010-2014, Robertson danced with Kanopy DanceCompany for four seasons. They attended summer dance programs on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Isaac studied contemporary dance and choreography from 2014-2017. Isaac Jerin has been a company dancer with Danceworks Performance MKE (DPMKE) since 2018. Robertson toured with DPMKE to the 2022 Making Space Festival held by TBD dance collective based in Omaha, Nebraska. Isaac continues to create work, teach movement and dance in Milwaukee. Isaac is currently back at UW-Milwaukee to finish their BFA.

ELISABETH ROSKOPF

ELISABETH ROSKOPF 이지영

Elisabeth Roskopf 이지영 is a dancer, performer, choreographer, educator, pianist, and a mother to her daughter, Alina. Elisabeth was born in South Korea and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she began dancing at the age of 6. She is a company member of Danceworks Performance MKE, Li Chiao-Ping Dance, the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and a performance/choreography collaborator with Wild Space Dance Company.

Elisabeth received her Bachelor of Arts in Piano and a minor in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She is currently earning her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where she is honored to be a recipient of the Graduate Student Excellence Fellowship award. At UWM, she began her career in academia as a lecturer in the Department of Dance and became a graduate teaching assistant while performing and studying under the distinguished professors and guest artists such as Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Dan Schuchart, Dawn Springer, Deb Loewen, Mauriah Donegan Kraker, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Jan Erkert, Alexandra Beller, Kevin Williamson, Teresa VanDenend Sorge, and Sooyeon Lee.

Elisabeth co-produced and performed in “Provenance: A Letter to My Daughter,” an award-winning screendance work created with director/choreographer Li Chiao-Ping and cinematographer/editor Christal Wagner. This dance film has been selected to be screened in various film festivals nationally and internationally, such as the 2024 Incheon International Short Film Festival (Finalist for Best Short Film), 2024 Busan New Wave Short Film Festival (Best Editing Award), 2023 Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival (Best Direction Award), and the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival, to name a few.

Elisabeth is the Founder and Creative Director of Dance For Diversity, an annual screendance project that is made explicitly for Artists of Color to share their voices and stories of identity through their dance-making and performance work. Elisabeth’s choreographic work creates a platform for Adoptees and BIPOC Dance Artists to have a place to be visible in the fullness of their identity and authenticity while fostering a sense of belonging permanently.

Her research encompasses autoethnography in movement through storytelling that creates a path for her embodied subjectivity. She links her corporeal experiences through cultural studies, post-colonial studies, and embodied cultural memory. As a Korean American Dance Artist, she is dedicated to creating meaningful change through her embodied dance scholarship and contributions in the field of dance and the Greater Milwaukee Community.

HALLE SIVERTSON

HALLE SIVERTSON

Halle Sivertson (she/her) is a Milwaukee-based dancer and choreographer whose foundation in ballet has evolved into a diverse exploration of contemporary and modern styles. After dancing for 14 years at the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet, she graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Contemporary Dance Performance & Choreography. Through UWM she has had the opportunity to research dance and music in Brazil, as well as collaborate with and perform in the works of notable artists such as Daniel Burkholder, Gina Laurenzi, Emma Draves, Dawn Springer, and Maria Gillespie. She is now a performing artist in her fourth season with Danceworks Performance MKE and a member of Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. 

GABI SUSTACHE

GABI SUSTACHE

Gabi Sustache is a Milwaukee native, is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. A recent graduate from UW-Milwaukee, where she received her Bachelors of Arts in dance from the program in Spring of 2020. In addition to being a member of Danceworks Performance MKE, she is also a company member with Danceworks On Tap, Danceworks’ resident tap dance company. Gabi enjoys performing with various Milwaukee-based hip hop crews, and was recently a guest performer with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. Her choreography has been featured as part of Danceworks’ DanceLAB concert series Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience from 2013-19, Get It Out There 2016-19, Milwaukee Bucks halftime performances, for several high school musical theater productions in and around the Milwaukee area and was selected in 2019 to be adjudicated at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference. Gabi joined the Danceworks faculty in 2014 where she teaches studio classes. You can also find Gabi teaching in the community for the Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm program in addition to other workshops and residency work.

JASMINE URAS

JASMINE URAS

Jasmine Uras is a performing artist, educator, and choreographer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Master of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jasmine taught and performed at Centre National de la Danse in Paris, France during the summer of 2022. Her work “Strings of Healing” was presented in the American College Dance Association Conference in 2022 as well as the Centre National de la Danse. Jasmine’s most recent work Resonance premiered at The Kenilworth Studios in February of 2024. She is now a performer with WildSpace Dance Company and Guest Artist for DPMKE.

Headshots and Portrait Photography by Halle Sivertson

MORE!

Take a Danceworks Performance Survey

As Danceworks, Inc looks toward its 33rd year of operation, we are introducing an annual audience survey. The purpose of this survey is to ensure that the organization’s mission is actively responding to the needs of its current and desired audiences. This survey is being offered to program participants in the areas of Studio, Performance, Community, and Administration.  Click here if you’d like to help us serve our mission by completing this brief survey (less than 5 minutes). Thank you!

Bid to win an amazing trip and support Dancworks!

We have partnered with a fundraising organization who provides amazing vacation packages at a discounted rate. We have these vacation packages in a silent auction running from Fables from the Wide Sky until the end of Showcase on June 7th at 10pm. Any amount raised over the starting bid goes directly back to Danceworks!

Head to the Auction Tab to see the three great options for families and adults:
Tuscan Treasures – Cortona, Italy
Disney World Wonder – Disney World, Florida
Cabo Getaway – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

If you are planning a vacation, consider purchasing a package to not only take a trip and make memories of your own, but know that your purchase will support our mission to bring joy, health, and creativity to the community through dance.

Purchase Danceworks & Danceworks Performance Company Apparel!

Visit our Bonfire store to check out our one stop shop for Danceworks and Danceworks Performance MKE swag! Show your support for our small but mighty nonprofit all over town! Orders may be shipped directly to your home or the home of a loved ones…Danceworks swag makes a great gift!

Location

Danceworks, Inc.
1661 N Water St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202-2085


EIN: 39-1734312

SATELLITE Locations

Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center (JCC)
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay, WI 53217

Milwaukee Youth Arts Center (MYAC)
325 W. Walnut St., Milwaukee, WI 53212

Contact

Phone: 414-277-8480

Office Hours:
Monday – Thursday
9am – 12pm and 4pm – 8pm

Friday
4pm – 7:30pm

Saturday
9am – 2pm

Sunday: Closed

Founded in 1992, the mission of Danceworks, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is to enhance joy, health and creativity by engaging the community through dance.

VISION: to be a source for arts education and community collaborations.
PURPOSE: to inspire lifelong interest and participation in the arts.

MORE QUESTIONS? Please visit our FAQ and Policies Page

Proud Member of United Performing Arts Fund.

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