Madison Ballet’s Brand-New Nutcracker Lights Up the Overture Stage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2021

Madison Ballet’s Brand-New Nutcracker Lights Up the Overture Stage
Madison’s favorite holiday show celebrates 40 years with all-new choreography 

Madison, WI – The Nutcracker returns to Overture Hall this December with a holiday performance that will dazzle like no other. In celebration of Madison Ballet’s 40th Anniversary Season, this production brings all-new choreography to Tchaikovsky’s famous score to tell the timeless tale of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince.

Artistic Director Sara Stewart Schumann leads the company in the monumental task of reimagining this classic holiday story for a modern audience. The result will be a truly collaborative production: Schumann and Ballet Master Thomas Mattingly are choreographing the majority of the production, and additional artists from both inside and outside the organization are providing an authentic voice for many sections of the ballet.

“With this opportunity to create new choreography, we sought to engage artists in our community who can help us respectfully portray and celebrate the different cultures represented throughout the story,” says Schumann.

The new Chinese divertissement is choreographed by Madison Ballet soloist Yu-Jhe Sun in consultation with Yaqi Wu, a Madison-based traditional Chinese dancer of incredible artistry, who added her experience and insight to this creative process at Schumann’s invitation. The Spanish divertissement is produced in collaboration with Madison Ballet soloist Michelle Ramos. 

Several sections of the performance are inspired by Ruth Page’s choreography for her Chicago Tribune Charities Nutcracker, a production in which Schumann herself danced the role of the American Beauty Rose.

Audiences will be treated to new costumes, new characters, and more of Tchaikovsky’s delightful score, played live by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. “It’s going to add a whole new energy for the dancers and audiences alike, with the wonderful holiday spirit we all look forward to each year,” says Schumann.

The Nutcracker is a staple holiday tradition for families in the Madison community. Until last winter, Madison Ballet had performed the Nutcracker every year since 1981. “After 18 months away from the stage, we are overjoyed to return to our home in the Overture Center, and to give children and adults in our community the bright, beautiful gift of a brand-new Nutcracker,” says CEO Jonathan Solari.

PERFORMANCE & TICKET INFORMATION

Dates & Times

Friday, December 17 – 7:00pm

Saturday, December 18 – 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Sunday, December 19 – 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Thursday, December 23 – 6:00pm

Friday, December 24 – 1:00pm

Sunday, December 26 – 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Ticket Information

Single Tickets: $16 – $65

Group Tickets: 20% discount on select seating for groups of 10 or more.

Tickets can be purchased online at MADISONBALLET.ORG or by calling The Overture Center Box Office at 608.258.4141. 

Overture Hall Location 

201 State Street, Madison, WI 53703

For more details and directions visit OVERTURE.ORG/ABOUT/VISIT.

For 40 years, Madison Ballet has been an integral part of the vibrant Dane County arts community. Full-scale productions of inspiring traditional ballets, innovative contemporary performances, and the timeless holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” reach more than 13,000 people each year. The School of Madison Ballet empowers students of all ages and skill levels with the poise, confidence, discipline, and fundamental life skills intrinsic to the study of dance. Outreach programming, presented in partnership with dozens of local school and community groups, enriches thousands of young people’s lives by introducing them to the joy of dance.

Contact: Lexi Janssen, Marketing Manager

Phone: 262-402-2358

Email: lexi@madisonballet.org

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DeWitt’s Wisconsin Super Lawyers® 2021 Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle M. Friedman
mmf@dewittllp.com / 262-754-2877

DeWitt’s Wisconsin Super Lawyers® 2021 Announced

GREEN BAY | MADISON | MILWAUKEE | MINNEAPOLIS – DeWitt LLP today announced ten of its Wisconsin lawyers were selected for inclusion on the 2021 Wisconsin Super Lawyers list and five were included on the 2021 Wisconsin Rising Stars list. 

The ten DeWitt attorneys selected for inclusion on the 2021 Wisconsin Super Lawyers list are:

• Shannon A. Allen – Business Litigation (Brookfield, WI)
• Jon P. Axelrod – Business Litigation (Madison, WI)
• Eric A. Farnsworth – Personal Injury, Plaintiff (Madison, WI)
• Douglas H. Frazer – Tax (Brookfield, WI)
• David J. Hase – Business Litigation (Brookfield, WI)
• Paul R. Hoefle – Business Litigation (Brookfield, WI)
• Jeffrey J. Liotta – Business Litigation (Brookfield, WI)
• Joseph A. Ranney, III – Business Litigation (Madison, WI)
• Theresa L. Roetter – Family Law (Madison, WI)
• Brian R. Smigelski – Business Litigation (Brookfield, WI)

The five DeWitt attorneys were selected for inclusion on the 2021 Wisconsin Rising Stars list are:

• Matthew J. Hills – Business/Corp (Brookfield, WI)
• Michael R. Kruse – Civil Litigation, Plaintiff (Brookfield, WI)
• Deborah C. Meiners – Business Litigation (Madison, WI)
• Brody C. Richter – Business/Corp (Madison, WI)
• Barret V. Van Sicklen – Employment & Labor (Madison, WI)

About Super Lawyers

The selections for Wisconsin Super Lawyers are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters legal division based in Eagan, Minnesota. Each year the team conducts a thorough selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

The final list of Wisconsin Super Lawyers features the top five percent of attorneys in more than 60 practice areas. Lawyers featured on the Rising Stars list are selected based upon similar criteria as Super Lawyers; however, a candidate must either be under 40 years of age or in practice for 10 years or less, and a peer evaluation is not conducted.

About DeWitt

DeWitt LLP was founded in 1903 and is one of the 10 largest law firms based in Wisconsin, with an additional presence in Minnesota. It has more than 130 attorneys practicing in Green Bay, Madison and Metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has the experience to service clients of all scopes and sizes. The firm is known for its work in a variety of legal areas including intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyright law, construction litigation, corporate law, employment, environmental, employee benefits, estate planning, family business, family law, government relations, health care, litigation, real estate, and tax law.  More information is available at dewittllp.com 

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Endres Foundation Announces $203,500 in Fall Grants

In November, 2021, Endres Manufacturing Company (“EMC”) Foundation announced grants of $203,500 to 18 non-profits which provide essential area services.

The seven Trustees met online to consider 34 grant requests. Also, annual gifts of $1,000 to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, $1,000 to Artists on Main in Waunakee, and $15,000 to Dane Arts have been made. And finally, the final payment of $34,000 was made to the Youth Art Center to complete our $100,000 pledge, and $25,000 will be given to match grant decisions made by the UW Philanthropy Lab Class at their graduation celebration in December, a class mentored by the EMC Foundation.

The grant requests awarded are:
Aldo Leopold Nature Center – $25,000
Badger Childhood Cancer Network – $8,000
Bethel Horizons – $5,000
Family Services Madison – $10,000
First Tee – $5,000
Girls on the Run – $500
Horizon High School – $5,000
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin – $5,000
Little John’s Restaurants – $25,000
Lussier Community Center – $5,000
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens – $25,000
Madison Reading Project – $5,000
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin – $5,000
Ronald McDonald House – $5,000
Saint Patrick Catholic Church – $20,000
Second Harvest Food Bank – $5,000
Urban League Black Business Hub – $25,000
UW Odyssey Project – $20,000

The Endres Foundation grants cover a diverse array of focus areas: including education, arts, human services, environmental and health. If you plan to apply for one of the grant cycles in either May or November be aware that agencies in the local area are a priority and the Foundation seeks to support new programs or projects rather than funding the same agencies annually. We want you to both grow your base of donors and your impact on a positive future. $449.64 billion was given by U.S. philanthropists in 2019, and of that, Corporate giving grew by 13.4% to $21.09 billion, Foundation giving grew by 2.5% to $79.69 billion, and Individual giving grew to an all-time high of $309.66 billion. And it has continued to increase due to the needs encountered during COVID. We are fortunate to have caring, compassionate, and generous people giving our communities hope and optimism for a brighter future. Thank you!

Pivotal Health expanding to Milwaukee after $1.3M raise

A new health care provider that will let patients schedule and pay through a mobile app and then have a licensed clinician show up at their door to provide in-home urgent or primary care is coming to the Milwaukee area.

Pivotal Health, founded in Middleton last year, will begin seeing Milwaukee-area patients on Dec. 1, the company’s co-founder and CEO Sal Braico said.

Read more at The Business Journals

Leah Urso Joins State Bank of Cross Plains as Agriculture & Business Relationship Manager

November 18, 2021, MADISON, Wisconsin— State Bank of Cross Plains welcomes Leah Urso to its Ag Lending and Business Banking Team. She serves farmers, agribusiness owners, and local businesses throughout Dane County.

“Leah brings such a genuine love for the agriculture industry to her work,” says Steve Eager, State Bank of Cross Plains’ Market President. “Her ability to connect with customers and her drive to truly understand how she can help makes her not only incredibly competent but also a joy to have on our team.”

Having grown up on a registered Holstein farm and eventually owning and showing registered AQHA horses and registered Holsteins, Urso has in-depth knowledge and expertise in a variety of agricultural areas. As FFA President in high school, she was awarded Wisconsin’s Outstanding Agriculture Girl scholarship.

Urso earned her Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Communications/Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. While at UW-Eau Claire, she co-founded and served as a representative for Student United Way-UWEC and was nominated by her professor into the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success for her academic achievement, community service, and campus participation.

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State Bank of Cross Plains is known for our modern, progressive approach to supporting businesses and consumers by offering services more typical of larger financial institutions in an environment that values one-on-one personal relationships and community involvement. State Bank of Cross Plains is a $1.6 billion institution, offering a full range of business and personal financial services including business, real estate, and consumer lending, as well as wealth management and financial advisory services. We now also provide Crop Insurance and Ag Lending Services. SBCP has 14 convenient locations in Dane, Rock, and Green Counties. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

For additional information, contact Marketing Communications Manager Ian Folger at 608-826-3515.