Muskego Elementary Takes In A Little Ballet

Nancy Einhorn's Milwaukee Ballet II (MBII) made a house call to Muskego Elementary School on Wed., Feb 1, with a performance of "McMichael's Dancing Cow Dairy Farm."

MBII is a program of the ballet and is comprised of 20 young dancers committed to community outreach.  It also makes exposure to the arts much easier for schools, as they don't have to organize a field trip to the venues in downtown Milwaukee.

"We had previously organized trips to see 'FirstStage' performances, but it didn't seem that they offered performances this year that would be appropriate for kids grades 1-4 here," said Catherine Bowmil,

The story takes place at the Dancing Cow Dairy Farm in Wisconsin where main character Billy lives along with his sister Bonnie, an accomplished dance student. After seeing her recital he can’t get the music out of his head or the movement out of his body. Suddenly, he is seeing dance everywhere he goes, from the animals that fly, swim and strut around the farm.

The story also addresses peer pressure that likely comes along with choosing dance over sports, especially with boys.

A few 'fun facts' are also thrown in about the dairy industry in Wisconsin by the show's narrator.

Based on the rapt attention by the students, the message is a compelling one as well as great entertainment.