Beer & Ballet

The Weidner will partner with Green Bay Ballet Theater Aug. 1 to present Beer & Ballet, an experience that blends local beer with world-class ballet.

Green Bay Ballet Theater, started by Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancers Kyle Davis and Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan, will bring top professional dancers from across the nation to dance to live music performed by the Weidner Philharmonic.

“It’s a really nice way of combining something that’s very familiar for Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin with something that maybe [audiences] are a little less familiar with or have preconceived notions of,” Davis said.

“We did the first Beer & Ballet back in 2024 and the audience really responded to it,” Ryan said. “There were a lot of people who came in and were like, ‘We really came for the beer and then we learned we liked ballet.’”

While growing up in Green Bay, Davis said it was difficult to find opportunities to experience professional ballet — something he hopes to change with Green Bay Ballet Theater.

“With our goal of bringing professional ballet to Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin, we really want to share the art form that we have…” Davis said. “It was something that as a kid growing up in Green Bay wasn’t there. When I was 15, in order to pursue a career in dance, I had to leave home. I want other kids in the Green Bay area to not have to go so far away to find something that is really spectacular.”

“I know how many dance schools there are in the greater Green Bay area and I went to a handful of competition studios and local ballet schools,” Davis continued. “There’s so many dance students and there are so many people in the area that are touched by dance but don’t know how far it can take them. That’s where the excitement is for me — to be able to bring that home and show it at the level that it is being shown on world stages.”

Beer & Ballet will feature performances of “Tarantella” (choreographed by George Balanchine, music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” pas de deux choreographed by Bruce Wells, music by Felix Mendelssohn), “Don Quixote” pas de deux (traditional choreography, music by Ludwig Minkus), “Giselle” pas de deux (traditional choreography, music by Adolphe Adam), “The Swan” (traditional choreography, music by Camille Saint-Saëns) and a world premiere piece by Lily Wills, with music by Maurice Ravel and Ottorino Respighi.

“With those numbers, the live orchestra and the extreme talent that’s going to be on stage, and the beer, I think it’s going to be a really electric evening,” Davis said.

Beer tastings will be provided before showtime by Badger State Brewery, Cocoon Brewing, Luba Libations and Stillmank Brewing Co.

Non-alcoholic options and kid-friendly sodas will also be available.

Learn more and purchase tickets at weidnercenter.com/events-and-tickets.