As distinctive and dynamic as the city it calls home, Ballet Austin welcomes audiences near and far to participate in its “classically innovative” vision for the democratization of dance. With a rich history spanning five decades, acclaimed productions, and one of the nation’s largest classical ballet academies, the organization is poised for an even greater future. From their new home at the Butler Dance Education Center and Community School in downtown Austin, Ballet Austin and artistic director Stephen Mills actively engage the community, dancers, and audiences alike. The New York Times proclaims Ballet Austin “a company with big ambitions” originating work that is “absorbing.” 

Hailed by Dance Magazine as “sleek and sophisticated” and “one of the nation’s best kept ballet secrets” by The Washington Post, Stephen Mills shapes Ballet Austin’s collaborative and organic sensibility. He works closely with the twenty full-time professional dancers, recruited from an annual 29-city audition tour. Each season Mills leads the company through the presentation of five productions in Austin, ranging from archetypal classical interpretations to those new works that, as The New York Times observed, “...innovate by using the body in ways that depart from balletic convention.” Mills’ work with Ballet Austin has been declared “whimsical and fantastic” (Dallas Morning News), “effortlessly striking” (Dance View Times), and “meaningful” (Pointe magazine). 

A company wholly committed to bringing the art of dance to thousands who might not otherwise have the opportunity, Ballet Austin maintains a multifaceted approach to dance education—manifested in the design and construction of the Butler Dance Education Center. Ballet Austin Academy is the official ballet school of Ballet Austin and has more than 800 students. While the benefits of ballet training are all-inclusive, the Academy’s focus is to provide what is necessary for a professional career in dance. Ballet Austin’s apprentice company, Ballet Austin II, offers an opportunity for post high school, advanced dancers to hone their skills in a professional environment. Established in 1999 by associate artistic director Michelle Martin, Ballet Austin II is made up of 11 nationally emerging artists. 

The newly founded Butler Community School serves anyone in the community who is inspired to dance by reducing the barriers that inhibit participation with Ballet Austin. The school provides a wide variety of dance classes, Pilates, yoga and more. The company extends its education imperative beyond the walls of the 34,000 square foot facility into the surrounding areas. Ballet Austin has developed outreach initiatives that reach 31 Central Texas school districts, engages families to dance together and invites patrons to informational talks. Finally, an in-house performance space now allows the company to offer free performances to those who cannot afford the price of admission.

Ballet Austin has participated in international festivals including Les Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationals de Seine-Saint-Denis in Paris, France, one of the premier modern dance festivals in Europe, and Le Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur in Montreal, Canada. In the summer of 2005, at the invitation of the US State Department, the company performed in Italy and Slovenia. In 2002, Mills led the Company to the Kennedy Center to perform to seven sold-out houses of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the Center’s Youth and Family Public Performance Series. Mills was subsequently commissioned by the Center to create The Taming of the Shrew which made its world premiere in Washington, D.C. in 2004—after which The New York Times dubbed him “the bard of ballet.” The following year, the company was invited to perform at the Joyce Theater in NYC for a week’s engagement. Also in 2005, Mills’ landmark Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project was awarded The Humanitarian Award by the Anti Defamation League. The company’s repertoire includes works by Ulysses Dove, Dwight Rhoden, David Parsons, David Nixon, Septime Webre, George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. 

Founded in 1956 as the Austin Ballet Society, Ballet Austin has since grown into a professional company with extensive roots and boundless aspiration. The company was incorporated and achieved professional status in 1982, under the leadership of Eugene Slavin and Alexandra Nadal. In 1989, Lambros Lambrou was appointed Artistic Director expanding from 14 dancers to 24 professional dancers recruited from across North America and Europe. Stephen Mills ushered in a new era for Ballet Austin in 2000, leading the company to command performances and national acclaim. In 2008 Ballet Austin will become a founding resident company for the state-of-the-art Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts.