Milwaukee Ballet presents ‘Made in Milwaukee’ program

Milwaukee Ballet has brought together five talented young choreographers, a bevy of local musicians and one spoken-word artist to create a homegrown show.

MXE Milwaukee Mixed, scheduled for the Pabst Theater Feb. 8–11, pairs multiple performers in mixed-media presentations designed to push the boundaries of the city’s performing arts.

Movement combines with music to produce singular interpretations of the artists and the city in which they work.

The ballet’s young choreographers outlined their ideas and approaches, each as different as the person who created them.

Let this be your guide to one of the season’s most enlightening artistic experiences.

Garrett Glassman, choreographing to new music by Tontine Ensemble

The title of my composition, Affixed, is meant to describe the relationship many people have with their screens or electronic devices. Many of us fall into the category of compulsive overuse. We are, in a sense, affixed to these devices, and these devices are affixed to us.

I have chosen the musical sounds of Tontine Ensemble, a string quartet consisting of violin, viola, cello and double bass. Their music is mostly improvisational, which pairs well with how I typically generate choreography. Tontine uses many nontraditional techniques to create sounds you wouldn’t typically hear from string instruments.

There are eight dancers in the piece, most of whom represent people who have addictive relationships with their phones. One dancer begins the piece as an observer, seeing the other dancers move about like zoned-out robots programmed to stare into their screens for eternity.

The lone dancer joins another for a pas de deux, but it is a one-sided relationship. Her partner only focuses on his screen. Eventually, she finds herself slowly drawn into screen addiction as well.

My hope is that the piece will inspire people to take a step back and look at themselves. I use nontraditional steps and techniques to make my choreography abstract while still being able to get my message across.

Timothy O’Donnell, choreographing to original spoken word poetry by Dasha Kelly Hamilton performed live

My piece is entitled More Truth Than Poetry. I wanted to expand the reach of the MXE concept, so I decided to collaborate with Dasha Kelly Hamilton, an exceptionally talented local artist known for her creative writing, and for her dedication to giving a voice to those who need it.

The work I am creating is about our memories and our fragile relationship with them. Milwaukee Ballet has commissioned Dasha to write an original monologue for this work, which she will perform live onstage with my cast.

As a choreographer, music has always been my chariot. Working without music has been an interesting process.

I feel the extraordinary poem Dasha has created is so strong, so moving and so important that I want it to be the star of my new work.

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The audience hopefully will experience the power of her words being expressed both audibly and physically. The dancers aren’t necessarily “acting out” her words, but there is an emotional connection I am trying to create to bridge both expressions of the singular idea.

Every work I create for Milwaukee Ballet is a small piece of my consciousness I choose to share with those willing to tear themselves away from their daily distractions.

Every work is designed to evoke conversation. 

Isaac Sharratt, choreographing to music by The Vitrolum Republic

I’ve settled on We Roam as the title. As human beings, we tend to roam. We get stir crazy and need a change of scenery. It’s something we crave.

I have chosen to work with the Vitrolum Republic, a sort of an Americana/folk group. The way they layer their sounds really appeals to me.

I traveled a lot this summer, teaching and choreographing for three months. Planes, trains, buses. What I noticed was how many people were always in transit, always traveling, so I started watching the crowds.

I was surprised to find that I stopped watching individuals as I went, and started observing the way the crowds flowed. However, when it came time to board, whatever the mode of travel, we would all come together, moving as one. I found an odd beauty in a large group of people coming together and I wanted to use this idea in my choreography.

The dancers will all be wearing black newsboy caps to kind of add a layer of unison anonymity. I’d say they symbolize the adventure. The movement is grounded and fluid, yet it moves a lot. I try and take a feeling from the music and see what that feeling translates to in movement.

This makes each piece unique. I’m hoping the audience will be inspired to enjoy something out of the norm. Maybe even go on vacation. Roam a little.

Nicole Teague-Howell, choreographing to a composition by LUXI

I decided to name my piece Pull because I thought it had movement to it. I liked that it was an action verb.

I selected LUXI for my piece, and fell in love with her music instantly. I would describe her sound as electronic/dance. I got to meet with her while she was creating new music for this work.

The focus of Pull is how the dancers coexist and share a connection together onstage. I’m using nine dancers in my piece, and LUXI’s music is really a driving force for the choreography. It’s so grounded and textured.

I think that movement is a universal language, and I am hoping to connect to people through it.

Petr Zhradnicek, choreographing to the sounds of the Bonifas Electric Band featuring Brian Lynch, performing live

The name of my piece is Conflux, which is the junction of two rivers. In my piece, the two rivers are the jazz musicians and the dancers merging together.

Bill Bonifas invited me to the Jazz Estate to listen to his Electric Band. I really enjoyed the energy between the musicians and their improvisation.

In Conflux, there are four women dancers, four men dancers, an electric guitarist, trumpeter, pianist, electric bass player and drummer. Each dance couple is in a different stage of their dance career and represented by a different instrument. The musical selections reflect the band’s evolution from traditional to funky.

In the beginning of my dance career, most of my focus on the stage was placed into ballet technique and its clean execution. As I evolved and grew as an artist, it became more meaningful for me to put my energy into the intention of the style and to creating characters.

The choreography will hopefully show the different dancers’ personalities in their reflection to the musicians and the stages of their careers.

On stage

Milwaukee Ballet’s MXE Milwaukee Mixed runs Feb. 8–11 at the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee. Tickets are from $36.25 to $111.25 and can be purchased at the Pabst Theater box office, 414-286-3663, or at the Milwaukee Ballet box office, 504 W. National Ave., 414-902-2103. Visit etix.com for online purchases.