Hoping to recruit and retain more international talent, Milwaukee Ballet announced a new extension of its growing relationship with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In the new arrangement, UWM will help provide university residence housing for participants in Milwaukee Ballet's Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II program. Also, ballet students will have convenient access to the University's extensive resources while expanding their educational opportunities beyond dance.

Each year, Milwaukee Ballet selects up to 20 dancers from an international pool of applicants to participate in this prestigious pre-professional dance training program.

Milwaukee Ballet II is a pre-professional program that nurtures and develops dancers' technical skills and artistry required for a professional career in dance. In addition to their training, Milwaukee Ballet II students are a part of the ballet's mission to reach out and educate the community about the form of dance.

"We're very excited about our continued partnership with Milwaukee Ballet and the opportunity to help support and nurture their student dancers," says Wade Hobgood, Dean of UWM Peck School of the Arts.