““The dedication and talent of these young Dance Wisconsin Company dancers is inspiring. I continue to work as hard as I possibly can to provide them the opportunities they deserve to perform for the community and be seen by as many community members as possible.””

— JoJean Retrum, Artistic Director

Celebrating our 47th Season

“Continuum”

Coppelia tickets

Spring Ballet “Coppelia”

Coppelia is a comedic classical ballet first performed in 1870. Artistic Director, JoJean Retrum, and Rehersal Assistant, Regan Batterman, will reset the ballet on dancers from across south central Wisconsin and it will feature a number of guest artists to enhance the performance experience of the young dancers as the watch professionals work and rehearse with them. This performance will be on Saturday March 15th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, March 16th at 2:00 PM at the MyArts Center downtown Madison. A ballet for the young and old it will bring smiles to all that attend.

The Story of Coppelia:

ACT 1:

On one side of the stage is part of the village where Swanhilda lives and on the other is the workshop of Dr. Coppelius, a mysterious inventor suspected of having magic powers.In the upstairs window of his house sits Coppelia, an extremely lifelike doll, with a book in her hands. The villagers believe Coppelia is real and wave to her to join them in the square. When she doesn’t respond, they assume she is stuck-up.

Swanhilda, a young village girl, loves Franz and they are planning to marry until she catches him waving and blowing kisses to Coppelia. The town square soon fills with merry villagers and the Mayor and Priest arrive to announce Swanhilda and Franz’s wedding. They present Swanhilda with an shaft of wheat, telling her to listen for the rattle that will show Franz is her true love. They dance with the shaft of wheat and Swanhilda becomes upset when she doesn’t hear anything. She accuses Franz of loving Coppelia, and it looks like the wedding may be off.

After the villagers depart, Doctor Coppelius emerges from his house and locks the door. He runs into Franz and flustered drops his key in the town square. Swanhilda and her girl friends find the key and sneak into the house, planning to confront Coppelia about flirting with Franz. Dr. Coppelius comes back for his key and finds his workshop open, goes after the culprits.

Meanwhile, Franz is also determined to meet the beautiful and mysterious Coppelia. The Act ends with him climbing a ladder into her window.

ACT 2:

Now inside Dr. Coppelius’ workshop, Swanhilda and her friends are frightened by the shadowy figures standing around. Swanhilda finds and confronts Coppelia and realizes that Franz’s long-distance love is only a doll.The friends play with the dolls until Dr. Coppelius races in. The friends escape but Swanhilda remains behind hidden behind a curtain.

Dr. Coppelius is trying to put his beloved dolls back when he is surprised by Franz crawling through the window. Franz declares his love for the doll and Dr. Coppelius seems happy to accept his proposal and offers Franz a drink. However, it turns out Dr. Coppelius really wants to use Franz’s life force to bring Coppelia to life. When he pulls the doll out of her closet and she begins to dance with him, Dr. Coppelius thinks he has finally done it, until Swanhilda reveals she has cleverly disguised herself as Coppelia! She shows Dr. Coppelius that Coppelia is only a lifeless doll and wakes Franz, who is grateful to her and proud of her cleverness. They make up from their fight and the wedding is back on!

ACT 3:

Now in Village Square, Swanhilda and Franz are happily united in marriage.

Donate to the 2024-2025 Season Campaign

New Works, “Revolution”

Revolution will be performed at the MYArts Center on September 22, 2024 at 3:00pm. This annual New Works production showcases our underlying season theme “Continuum”. Dance Wisconsin challenges their dancers and choreographers with four new pieces performed to, perhaps unexpected, music taking the audience and dancers through the musical eras of the last hundred years with choreographic takes of many different styles. The show will also provide the audience with an educational demonstration of a ballet class where Artistic Director, JoJean Retrum, will provide commentary and explanation to the movements shown on stage. Tickets on sale now. Please click “tickets” on our homepage.

NUTCRACKER BALLET

A forty-seven-year Madison holiday tradition, Dance Wisconsin’s Nutcracker Ballet is the only local performance that includes dancers, a live orchestra (the Dance Wisconsin Orchestra), and the magical vocals of the Monona Grove High School Singers. The cast includes members of the Dance Wisconsin Company and additional dancers from all over south central Wisconsin including the counties of Dane, Green, Rock, Iowa, Waukesha and Sauk.

The first concept of what is now Dance Wisconsin, began in 1976 as Madison Youth Ballet with a production of the Nutcracker at West High School. Madison Youth Ballet transformed into Wisconsin Dance Ensemble and a partnership was formed with the Madison Civic Center in 1981. Ms. Retrum worked very closely with David Lew Crosby, then Director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and The Nutcracker Ballet was accompanied by live orchestra music. In 1999 Wisconsin Dance Ensemble made another transformation to Dance Wisconsin and the home of its productions moved to the Wisconsin Union Theater and Taras Nahriniak formed the Dance Wisconsin Orchestra.

This 47 year strong production is excited to debut new costumes, updated choreography, and more importantly bring holiday joy to the Madison community for another year. Join us on December 21 & 22, 2024 at the Wisconsin Union Theater for Dance Wisconsin’s production of The Nutcracker Ballet.

Regional Dance America’s Midstates Festival

The season will conclude in Kansas City, Kansas at the National Regional Dance America MidStates Festival. One of the "Revolution" pieces will have been adjudicated in February and selected to be performed at the Festival in front of 100s of dancers, directors, college educators, professional company directors and recruiters.

Pictures from Adjudication 2024, January 29, 2024, with Adjudicator Jill Bahr. Ms. Bahr observed class as taught by Ballet Mistress, Elise Woloshin and then the dancers performed four concert length pieces for her to review. Dance Wisconsin also had five dancers perform either a classical variation or contemporary solo for Ms. Bahr in the hopes of being selected MidStates Region’s Outstanding Dancer. Ms. Bahr then met with the dancers providing feedback to them and their educators.