Danceworks DanceLAB is an experimental performance initiative dedicated to pushing artists and audiences to expand their thinking about dance as an art form.
The focus is on collaboration, fusion of forms and current trends in the field; many events include educational components to encourage artist-to-audience dialogue and participation. Danceworks DanceLAB honors and nurtures the development of new works by dance artists by offering year-round opportunities in the form of performances, internships, mentorships, space access and advocacy for artists serving the Milwaukee community. We stay on the lookout for talented emerging or established dance artists.
Danceworks DanceLAB presented…
August 7-8, 2021
in Danceworks Parking Lot
Danceworks brought together a platter of tasty dance techniques and styles with one commonality: complexity of rhythm. From a sly swing beat to a rocking 4/4 rhythm, Danceworks Performance MKE and Danceworks On Tap were joined by guest artists Cyenthia Vijaykumar (Kathak Indian classical dance), McNamara McCarthy School of Irish Dance, and Joshua Yang (Hip Hop) to present to you an exploration of rhythmic styles, ranging from weighted percussion via the soles of the feet to the internal rhythm explored by a soulful body. This concert featured original music and performance by percussionist Paul Westfahl, and breakout flutist Jennifer Rodriguez. If we were to fit this show in the bottle, it would likely burst before you could take a sip!
Thank you to our show Sponsors:
Artist Sponsorship by Bob BaldersonIn-Kind Sponsorship by Ogden & Company, Inc.
Get It Out There
ran January 18, 2020
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
Get It Out There presented the hottest new work in our community created by area performing artists from a variety of disciplines. Immediately following each performance, audience members were invited to stick around to mingle and share feedback with artists.
>View the 2020 Get It Out There: Program A playbill
>View the 2020 Get It Out There: Program B & C playbill
Get It Out There
ran September 12, 2019
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
Get It Out There presented the hottest new work in our community created by area performing artists from a variety of disciplines. Immediately following each performance, audience members were invited to stick around to mingle and share feedback with artists.
>View the 2019 Get It Out There playbill
> View the 2019 DanceLAB: Get It Out There photo album
Movement Media Lab
ran September 8, 2019
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
Local film and video artists showcased dance and movement-focused media projects in a variety of genres, including experimental, narrative, documentary and animation. The Movement Media Lab invited a process-based approach to analyzing and translating choreography/movement to the screen. The lab also looked at the relationship to the body in a 2D format, and highlighted movement through editing.
> View the 2019 Movement Media Lab playbill
Danceworks On Tap: Tap Talk
Saturday, August 10, 2019 // 6pm & 8pm
Sunday, August 11, 2019 // 2:30pm & 6pm
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
Presented by Jane Lewis & Mickey Maier
Additional support from Lamont A. Johnson, Pam Kriger Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation, and Bob Balderson
Danceworks On Tap: Tap Talk sent and received messages through rhythmic communication in a dynamic exchange. Unfolding sequences and layers of audible texture create what is most unique about tap dancing — movement your eyes can hear!
> View the 2019 Danceworks On Tap: Tap Talk playbill
> View the 2019 Danceworks On Tap: Tap Talk photo album
DanceLAB Teen: Conversations
ran August 3, 2019
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
This concert featured original work from Danceworks Youth Performance Company Artistic Manager and Danceworks Performance Company member, Gina Laurenzi. Laurenzi set new choreography, improvisational structures, and infused movement created by dancers throughout to create a unique collaboration with teen artists. Concepts were drawn from both the dancers’ own personal experiences and the moods the music evokes. DanceLAB Teen: Conversations featured the music of Chicago band, Twin Talk.
> View the 2019 DanceLAB Teen: Conversations playbill
> View the 2019 DanceLAB Teen: Conversations photo album
Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience
ran July 27 – 28, 2019
at the Danceworks Studio Theatre
Presented by an Anonymous Community Donor
Ignite continued to blow up the Danceworks Studio Theatre with the area’s best and most exciting hip hop crews for the 7th year in a row! These high energy performances are a DanceLAB favorite.
> View the 2019 Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience playbill
> View the 2019 Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience photo album
Questions? Visit our FAQ page or contact Dani Kuepper, Artistic Director, at 414.277.8480 x6001 or via email.