On July 20, No Studios will bring the legendary Alvin Ailey II to Sherman Phoenix as part of the first ever No Studios Dance Fest.

Kyle Froman Ailey II, photo by Kyle Froman

No Studios Dance Fest is a two-day event that will not only feature dancers from the legendary Alvin Ailey dance company, but six Milwaukee dance companies including Danceworks Performance MKE, Ton Ko-Thi Children’s Performing Ensemble, The Milwaukee Irish Dance Company, Signature Dance Company, Water Street Dance Milwaukee, and WoLF Studios.

“With NO Studios Dance Fest, we want to celebrate dance as an art form and showcase our rich community of Milwaukee-area dancers, all while bringing an incredible performance experience to a community and neighborhood that we feel is representative of the best that Milwaukee has to offer.” John Ridley

Here is the schedule of events for Dance Fest:

July 19: Kick off event

Reception in the No Studios gallery, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature live interviews from featured Milwaukee dance troupes, with a special visit from Ailey II. This event is free and open to the public.

July 20: Dance Fest

Doors open at 5 p.m. at Sherman Phoenix, with performances starting at 6 p.m. Tickets range between $5-$25.

Ailey II, founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding emerging choreographers. The pair of ballets that will be performed by the company include Ebb and Flow, a duet set to Samuel Barber’s most famous work Adagio for Strings, and an excerpt from Darrell Grand Moultrie’s high energy Road To One.