Schauer Arts Center to Present Ballets with a Twist's COCKTAIL HOUR: THE SHOW

You've never seen ballet like this! From coast-to-coast, Ballets with a Twist is turning heads and setting trends with its signature production, Cocktail Hour: The Show. Watch as “Mint Julep,” “Manhattan,” mocktail “Shirley Temple,” and more spring off the menu and onto the stage in a series of dazzling vignettes. Suitable for audiences of all ages, the fun and fast-paced show transports theatergoers through time and around the world with original choreography, music, and costume design. 

Ballets with a Twist soloists will hold workshops at the Schauer School of the Arts during the week of the October 5th performance. You may even see students appear with the professionals onstage during the show. In addition, company members will join Happy Dance Hour on October 3rd as Salsa instructors.
Tickets range from $42-$60 and can be purchased through the Schauer Arts Center website (schauercenter.org), by visiting the box office (147 N. Rural Street), or by calling 262-670-0560.

The Show

Created by artistic director and choreographer Marilyn Klaus, Cocktail Hour: The Show melds the glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age with a sleek, state-of-the-art sensibility. Elegance, electricity, and all-American energy combine in a series of delightful dancing drinks. 

Program highlights include

• “Champagne” — A glittering ballroom bubbles to life in this silver-screen dream.

• “Manhattan” — After a big-city evening, a socialite steps out with her dearest companion. As they stroll past each lamppost on Park Avenue, a jazz trumpet echoes the mood of the changing skyline. 

• “Mint Julep” — Sophisticated fillies leap toward a photo finish on a breeze of bluegrass and southern hospitality in this Kentucky Derby story.

The Company

Marilyn Klaus, whose choreography has been seen internationally, formed Ballets with a Twist in association with Grammy-nominated composer Stephen Gaboury and costume designer Catherine Zehr. Her company has appeared in a wide range of venues throughout the country, from Cleveland's Playhouse Square and New York City's Beacon Theatre to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Tribeca Film Festival. — "This troupe blends vaudeville flash and flair with tutus and pointe shoes." (The New York Times)

Stephen Gaboury's compositions have been performed by celebrated musicians nationwide. As a pianist, he has collaborated and toured the world with pop/rock icon Cyndi Lauper for more than a decade, most recently joining her alongside the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at its historic home venue. He has also accompanied such artists as Patti LaBelle, Norah Jones, and Sarah McLachlan, and has performed at internationally televised events such as the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony and the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball Drop. Gaboury's music has been heard in concert, on television, and in films (including Boyhood and American Beauty).

Catherine Zehr is the artistic force behind the company's costume design. Her creations evoke the origins and essence of each dance with brilliant colors and ornamentation. Zehr honed her skills while working at major American fashion houses, then by designing and manufacturing attire for her own label. She studied art and design at Washington University and New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology, where she and the company delivered the presentation “Designing Costumes for Ballets with a Twist” as part of The Museum at FIT's Fashion Culture series.

Craving more Twist culture? Visit balletswithatwist.com.