American Midwest Ballet

Summer Intensive faculty announced

Three distinguished professionals from the fields of jazz, ballet, and contemporary dance – Maeghan McHale, Kim Sagami, and DeeAnna Hiett – will be the guest faculty for AMB’s 2026 Summer Intensive. Read more…

They’re bringing fresh energy to their new Nutcracker roles

It’s always an exciting Nutcracker moment when dancers make their debuts in new roles. AMB’s Eliza Harden and Mat Lojewski are finding special joy in dancing together as the Dew Drop Fairy and her partner, the Thistle, in the Waltz of the Flowers. Read more…

Workshops bring the Nutcracker experience to more than 700 kids

Nutcracker season got its official kickoff on Thursday, November 6, as AMB dancers fanned out to grade schools across the metro to lead workshops based on the famous holiday ballet, in partnership with Omaha Performing Arts. Read more…

Dancers step out in dazzling designs

When you’re the first ballet company ever granted permission to perform Bob Fosse’s iconic ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ from DANCIN’, you want everything about the production to be extra-special. AMB costume designer Deborah Overturff has gone all-out to create sizzling period-inspired costumes for the 20-member cast. Read more…

Stories in song inspired this ballet

When Erika Overturff created Appalachian Song, inspiration was close at hand in the region’s distinctive music. “These songs do such a powerful job of storytelling that weaving them together echoes what our lives are like,” she says. Read more…

Revealing the hidden challenge

What’s the hidden challenge behind Ruth, Ricordi Per Due, Gerald Arpino’s beautifully poignant final creation? To answer it, Willy Shives, the man who knows it best, asks dancers: “How are you in a hug? How do you hold your cat? How do you say goodbye to your grandparents?” Read more…

Learning a masterpiece from a master

Sing, Sing, Sing, the showstopper of Bob Fosse’s revolutionary Broadway musical Dancin’, is acknowledged as a crown jewel of Fosse’s distinctive choreographic style. For Momentum, AMB dancers spent two weeks learning the work’s nuances from Broadway star Dylis Croman, a protégé of Fosse muse Ann Reinking and a cast member in the 2023 Broadway revival of Dancin’. Read more…

Meet our Season 16 professional company

American Midwest Ballet’s 25 artists are at work on the new season! Congratulations to Eliza Harden and Megan Lynch on their promotions from apprentice to company artist, and to Mateusz Lojewski from trainee to apprentice. And welcome to new apprentices Aurora Ausserer and Kennedy Newell, and new trainee Katherine Huse. Visit the bios page to read more…

Young dancers audition for ‘Nutcracker’ roles

Christmas came early for 70 young dancers when they received their casting notices for The Nutcracker. The community performers, drawn from studios across the metro and from our Discover Dance program, will fill roles such as party guests, candies, cakes, bakers, and gingerbreads. Read more…

Community events keep dancers on the move

AMB dancers are meeting the public in community events including Discover Dance classes at community centers and guest appearances at libraries and senior citizen centers. Want to get in on the fun? Join us for a free all-ages dance class at 10 am Friday, July 25, at the Performance Pavilion on Omaha’s Riverfront! Read more…

Summer Intensive: It’s A Wrap!

More than 70 student dancers from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri attended this year’s AMB Summer Intensive, which wrapped up June 27 with a performance at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center. Intensive director Kelanie Murphy gives a recap in this video interview…

Nutcracker Community Auditions Coming August 2 & 9

Save these dates for auditions for community roles in The Nutcracker: auditions August 2 and costume fittings August 9 (attendance is required at both.) More information coming soon!

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Summer Intensive Faculty Announced

Broadway star Dylis Croman; Gerald Arpino Foundation executive director and former Joffrey ballerina Kim Sagami; and dancer, choreographer, educator and filmmaker Caroline Dahm, plus artists of American Midwest Ballet, will be the guest faculty of the 2025 AMB Summer Intensive. Read more…

Couldn’t Your Life Use a Little More Magic?

AMB’s Season 16 will feature a crown jewel of the distinctive Bob Fosse style; a stirring elegy by Joffrey Ballet co-founder Gerald Arpino; and William Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic comedy… plus, of course, The Nutcracker!

Read more…

This One’s for the Boys!

Discover Dance, AMB’s program of free classes introducing grade-schoolers to ballet, is launching a new program just for boys, offered in partnership with the NorthStar Foundation. Read more…

What’s Making Everyone Feel So Good?

Erika Overturff remembers exactly where she got the inspiration for Feeling Good.

“I first heard the song ‘Feeling Good’ in a TV commercial,” she said. “I instantly loved it”. Read more…

Anything Can Happen on a Park Bench!

Choreographer Ray Mercer has introduced us to a restless spectre in Ghost Light and high-velocity romance in Speed Date. Time to slow things down a bit…? Not a chance! Mercer’s signature blend of human insight, athletic artistry, and split-second timing is on display in Significant Encounters. Read more…

“Black Swan” lets Katerina and Wyatt Indulge in their Dark Side

The Black Swan pas de deux is a dramatic plunge into the seductive power of temptation and darkness. Katerina Schweitzer and Wyatt Weeces are determined to make the most of the experience  Read more…