A look inside the Process of Lake Arts Project and how they build bridges through bereavement ™, filmed on location at The Visionary during their residency, Summer 2022, interview hosted by Bernadette Winters Bell,LMSW PLLC.
Annually, Lake Arts Project (2013 - present) brings together community groups and arts educators to workshop, cleanse, share, and then create. Collaborators include Feast of Crispian, a non-profit organization that brings professional actors and veterans together to strengthen the emotional resources they need to overcome trauma and reintegration issues. Lake Arts Project also works with high school art students, including THE ALLIANCE SCHOOL OF MILWAUKEE, a year-round school and a safe place for students regardless of sexuality, identity, appearance, ability, or beliefs.
During the BECOMING WHOLE Visionary Retreat, the founders and directors of Lake Arts Project (Karl von Rabenau, Creative Director of the Minnesota Ballet) and his partner, Jennifer Miller, Milwaukee Ballet Faculty Master Teaching Artist) immersed themselves in the unique process that they have created for those around them, and record their actions, step by step, to create a digital manual for their process, which became their final performance on June 18, 2022 on The Visionary stage.
Long time collaborators, dancers Barry Molina and Lizzie Tripp joined Lake Arts to explore and perform the final presentation of work. Bernadette also joined the final performance as a guest speaker.
Lake Arts Project’s co-founder and co-director, Karl von Rabenau is also Artistic Director for Minnesota Ballet Company. He began his dance training at Duluth Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Boston Ballet School, and San Francisco Ballet School. Mr. von Rabenau danced for Boston Ballet, Omaha Ballet, Pittsburgh Theater, and Milwaukee Ballet.
Mr. von Rabenau is also a passionate dance educator. For the past 21+ years, he has taught throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States. He has been a faculty member at Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy, including his work with the second company, MBII. Mr. von Rabenau has also taught for many years at Point Park University’s International Summer Dance in Pittsburgh, PA, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, PA.
As a choreographer, Mr. von Rabenau has created works for Point Park University’s International Summer Dance Program and had works performed in Regional Dance of America Festivals in the Northeast Region and Southeast Region. In 2002, Mr. von Rabenau was invited to choreograph his pas de deux, Speranza, for a Milwaukee Ballet presentation at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Jennifer Miller, Lake Arts Project’s co-founder and co-director, received her dance training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Ms. Miller also studied at Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Ms. Miller danced 16 years for Milwaukee Ballet Company, retiring as Principal Artist.
In summer of 2005, Ms. Miller danced for Trey McIntyre Project, performing in Vail International Dance Festival and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Ms. Miller, currently Ballet Master for Minnesota Ballet and School of Minnesota Ballet faculty, has also been on the faculty of Milwaukee area schools: Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy, Danceworks, Dance Arts Center, and Steps of Grace. For many summers, Ms Miller has taught at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Point Park University's International Summer Dance. As a private coach, she works with pre-professional dancers of all ages and levels including Youth America Grand Prix performers, ballroom dancers, gymnasts and Irish step dancers.
As a choreographer, Ms. Miller created works for Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet II, Central PA Youth Ballet, Point Park University's International Summer Dance, Dance Arts Center and Erie Dance Conservatory. She received the Monticello award for emerging choreographers.
PERFORMERS:
Barry Molina is originally from Minnesota, where he started dancing at age six with the St. Croix Ballet in Stillwater. He went on to train at New York City’s School of American Ballet year-round, after which he joined the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II Program. As a member of the program, he was called in, at the last minute, to perform as Peter’s Shadow in the world premiere of Michael Pink’s Peter Pan. Since being promoted to the Company in 2011, Molina has performed many featured roles in Michael Pink’s repertoire, including Jack in Cinderella, the Bell Boy in Dracula, Pied Piper in Beauty and the Beast, Benno in Swan Lakeas well as Fritz, Jack and Chinese Principal in The Nutcracker. He was recently featured as Vaslav Nijinksy in Timothy O’Donnell’s world premiere of Sacre, and Puck in Bruce Wells’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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Lizzie Tripp trained at Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy (MBSA), and attended the Summer Intensives at American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet. In MBSA, Tripp performed lead roles in many ballets choreographed by Rolando Yanes and danced alongside Milwaukee Ballet’s corps in Michael Pink’s Swan Lake.
She joined the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II Program in 2014, where she danced in Michael Pink’s Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Cinderella and Dracula, and performed in contemporary works by Timothy O’Donnell, Nadia Thompson, Lee-Wei Chao, Ilya Kozadayev and Petr Zahradnícek.
Since being promoted to the Company, Tripp originated the role of the Enchantress in the world premiere of Michael Pink’s Beauty and The Beast, and danced in Pink’s Mirror Mirror and contemporary works by Enrico Morelli, Mark Godden and Garrett Glassman.
