Audience & experts disagree; Milwaukee Ballet's competition nurtures new choreographers.

Usually in a competition, the judges judge, and you have a winner. But at Milwaukee Ballet's 2nd Genesis International Choreographic Competition last March, things got a little complicated. After the visiting "experts" voted, another expert--the audience--voted differently.

Michael Pink, artistic director of Milwaukee Ballet, had invited three choreographers (based on slews of submitted videos) to make a new work on the company. He gave them eight dancers (they pulled names out of a hat), 90 hours of rehearsal time, a costumer, and lighting designer. To the winner, he was offering $2,500 and the opportunity to return next year to make a new piece. (The 24 dancers of MB are energetic and nuanced performers, so it's not a bad prize.) The first runner-up would get $1,000, and the second $500.

The three pieces had very different moods and vocabularies. Jozsef Hajzer's Divertimento for 8 made dramatic use of Bartok, with the women in long flowing dresses performing in the sturm und drang style of early modern dance. Viktor Plotnikov, the former Boston Ballet principal who has created major works at Festival Ballet Providence, choreographed Matter in Moment, an intriguing, poetic piece that hinted at a narrative with statue-type stillnesses. Nelly van Bommel, a European choreographer based in Brooklyn, contributed O Clemens, a charming romp to Vivaldi that progressed from simple, mischievous pairings to cleverly crafted revelry.

The audience at Pabst Theatre cheered all three works, and the judges scurried into the lobby at the end to mark their numbers. Pink came to the stage to announce the results: Nelly van Bommel had won first prize, with Viktor Plotnikov coming in second. But by Monday, more than a thousand audience members, using cell phones and voting cards, had chosen Jozsef Hajzer. While the audience didn't change the official ruling, Hajzer walked away from the competition knowing he had the popular vote.

And that's what makes horse races. As Michael Pink said later, "It's impossible to tell what an audience is going to respond to." On the other hand, the audience knew the results of the judges' vote, so perhaps there was a sense of rooting for the underdog.

The judges were Bruce Marks, who is now head of Orlando Ballet; Gerard Charles, director of BalletMet Columbus; Martin Fredmann, director of the Japan Grand Prix and former director of Colorado Ballet; critic Sid Smith of the Chicago Tribune; and Claire Bataille, founding member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. And me.

Part of the fun of being on such a panel is hanging out with one's fellow judges. But the biggest pleasure for me was getting to know the work of three choreographers I'd never seen before.

And for the choreographers, they found new dancers and new friends. After the winner was announced that night, the three linked arms and, glowing with satisfaction, affection, and relief, fell together in a collective bow.