PRESS ROOM

BY: STEVE APPS, AMBER ARNOLD, AND JOHN HART

December 30th 2019

"The dancers performed excerpts from their current holiday program, "Full Light," and offered basic movement instruction to young attendees following the performance." John Hart

BY: LINDSAY CHRISTIANS

December 3, 2018

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"Magnum Opus presents “Full Light”. A relatively new ballet company spins onto the scene this holiday with a dance performance set to 20 recorded excerpts from G.F. Handel’s “Messiah.” Artistic director and founder Abigail Henninger leads and dances with an ensemble of seven professional dancers.

Henninger danced with Madison Ballet and freelanced around the country before founding Magnum Opus in 2017. She created all the choreography for “Full Light,” which runs about 80 minutes..."

BY: GREG LITTLE

November 28, 2018

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"...For this amazing space, Magnum Opus plans an amazing show—a holiday piece called “Full Light” that is based on the music of Handel’s “Messiah.” The 80-minute performance features 19 musical selections accommodating solos, duets, trios and group dance numbers.

“It is such a classical masterpiece that is familiar to a lot of people,” Henninger said. “Our hope is that with ‘Messiah’ having such powerful words and instrumental music that it is really brought to life.”..."

BY: AMBER LEVENHAGEN

November 29, 2018

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"Handel’s Messiah will be brought to life in Stoughton next weekend. Magnum Opus, a ballet company based out of Madison, will showcase “Full Light” for the second time in Stoughton, located again at the Stoughton Village Players Theater.

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Full Light is a revised version of Handel’s Messiah, an oratorio composed in 1741 with scriptural text from the King James Bible and a version of the Psalms included in the Book of Common Prayer. The original piece is three hours long, but Abigail Henninger said she has limited the performance to a much shorter selection with 20 pieces..."

BY: HELU WANG

March 28, 2018

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"Rhapsody Arts Center presented its fourth annual Sensory Friendly Concert Feb. 3.

The one-hour-concert was centered around accommodating for sensory needs, most specifically autism and other neurodiversities.

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The concert, part of the annual Rhapsody Arts Center Faculty and Friends Recital Series, featured performances by both staff and faculty of Rhapsody and special guest dancers Abigail Henninger and Katina Johns from Magnum Opus, a Madison-based dance company. The two danced to a piano piece called “Sketches in Color” by Robert Starter, which performed by faculty member Amber Bruns..."

BY KATIE REISER

December 21, 2017

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"I was curious about Madison’s new Christian ballet company, Magnum Opus, founded by accomplished dancer Abigail Henniger, so I attended a preview of excerpts from Henniger’s Full Light, which is set to Handel’s “Messiah.” I appreciated the solid technical skills of the company’s six dancers. Standouts Henniger and Lexie Ehmann danced well together, and Henniger has a knack for creating pleasing shapes with the dancers’ bodies and exploring the nuances of the score."

BY NOAH VERNAU

December 19, 2017

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"Watching ballet is a rare opportunity for Portage residents, one that’s arrived just in time for Christmas.

Magnum Opus Ballet will perform “Full Light” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Portage Center for the Arts. It’s the first professional ballet performance in the center’s 21-year history.

“We understand it’s a unique experience (for Portage), and we’re really excited to go there,” said Abigail Henninger, who serves as the director, chief choreographer and dancer for Magnum Opus. Her Madison-based company of six dancers formed in September, and so far has toured in Madison and surrounding communities..."

BY AMANDA FINN

December 03, 2017 

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"Their name might sound ostentatious, but the ladies behind Magnum Opus are anything but. Although they are still a brand new ballet company with just six dancers, they are ready to take on the dance world and mold their company around the love of dance. Ultimately they want to change the image of the “hoity-toity ballerina.” Abigail Henninger, the 29-year-old artistic director, founder and company artist, sees her young troupe as ready to take on that unique challenge.  “We want to be part of the community,” she said. “We want to love the people we are dancing for. We want to know those people ... we want to be role models for kids and connect to them.” Henninger has been in Madison for more than three years. She originally came to the city to dance for Madison Ballet, was with them for two years and left cordially about a year and a half ago. She then freelanced around the country before founding Magnum Opus in March. The company premiered in October with their performance of “Aloft” which was choreographed by Henninger and set to a live ensemble of musicians. Henninger is the oldest among the group with a span of 10 years, the youngest is just 19. But with that youthful spirit comes a drive to embrace the new company whereas older dancers might shy away from a troupe without a long track record. Sometimes older performers aren’t keen on learning a new style or “creating a flow between one another,” Henniger added..."

BY KATIE REISER

September 21, 2017

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"It’s always fun to find out what longtime local dance companies have to offer in their new seasons, but I’m especially curious about Magnum Opus, a new ballet troupe whose mission is to share and celebrate its members’ Christian faith. Artistic director Abigail Henninger, the founder of the small company, has danced with Madison Ballet, Missouri Ballet Theatre and Sarasota Ballet. Magnum Opus’ premiere performance, Aloft (Oct 6), is at Sauk Prairie’s River Arts Center. According to Henninger, the company is comprised of six female professional ballet dancers who became disenchanted with some of the “dark” content and direction of dance productions. She says they aim to create movement that will be positive and uplifting for audiences and dancers. In December they’ll present Full Light at several venues including Oakwood Village, City Church and the Stoughton Village Players Theater."