Company Audition Tour 2012

Audition Requirements:
Must be 18 or older
$25.00 audition fee due at check-in
Full-body Dance Photograph
Résumé

Frequently Asked Company Audition Questions

Audition Information Contact:
Company Manager, Eugene Alvarez
512.476.9051 ext. 128
eugene.alvarez@balletaustin.org

Company Auditions — Check-in 1 hour before Audition

Ballet Austin
Ballet Austin's main company employs 22 dancers on a 34-week contract. Under the direction of Stephen Mills, the 10 male and 12 female dancers perform a mixed repertoire that ranges from original full-length ballets such as The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet and Cinderella to cutting-edge contemporary ballets. Choreographers represented in Ballet Austin's repertoire include Mr. Mills, George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Ulysses Dove, Dwight Rhoden, David Parsons, Nicolo Fonte, and Septime Webre, KT Nelson, Dominic Walsh, and Nelly van Bommel.

Ballet Austin's season runs from mid-August through May with a 5 production subscription series in Austin, including a biennial choreographic competition, New American Talent/Dance. The company tours internationally and to major national venues including the Joyce Theater in New York and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., most recently in collaboration with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. The company rehearses in the Butler Dance Education Center, its eight studio home in downtown Austin. Dancer salaries are competitive and Ballet Austin pays 50% of the premiums for membership in a group health insurance plan. Ballet Austin's dancers are recruited through national auditions and from Ballet Austin's apprentice company, Ballet Austin II.

Ballet Austin II
Established in 1999, Ballet Austin II is Ballet Austin's apprentice program and second company. The 8 apprentices, ranging in age from 18-23, are employed for 34 weeks. They perform with the main company in larger productions and present a minimum of two independent projects per year. Choreographers represented in the Ballet Austin II repertoire include Stephen Mills, Jennifer Hart, Thang Dao, Thaddeus Davis, Nick Kepley and Viktor Kabaniaev, and Nelly van Bommel.

Apprentices are contracted with Ballet Austin II for up to 2 years during which time they receive artistic guidance, career management counseling and job placement assistance. Each spring Ballet Austin brings artistic directors from across the nation to observe and audition Ballet Austin II dancers in class and rehearsal. Ballet Austin II members take company class, augmented by their own classes and rehearsals conducted by Ballet Austin's artistic staff. Apprentices are paid a weekly salary and Ballet Austin provides rehearsal/performance shoes. A network of healthcare providers offers free care to Ballet Austin II members.

Ballet Austin II apprentices are recruited through Ballet Austin's Summer Intensive Program and the year-round Trainee Program. More than 60% of the main company’s current roster are graduates of Ballet Austin II. Additionally, former Ballet Austin II dancers have joined the ranks of both ballet and modern dance companies, including Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Washington Ballet, Nai-Ni Chen, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Ballet Met, Kansas City Ballet, Kim Robards Dance Company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Wideman/Davis Dance and Thang Dao Dance, and Oklahoma City Ballet.

Ballet Austin Trainee Program
Ballet Austin's trainees represent the most senior level of the Academy. This intensive professional-track program offers an innovative and personal approach to a traditional process, providing both quality classical ballet training and the opportunity to explore the unique contemporary choreography of Ballet Austin’s repertoire.

Selected through a nationwide audition process, the trainees participate in up to seventeen hours of classes per week. Under the guidance of an experienced faculty, students receive instruction in ballet technique, variations, partnering, men’s technique, modern, jazz, Pilates, body conditioning and repertoire.

While the majority of training occurs in the studio, there are additional opportunities for professional development offered through educational workshops, lectures, and interaction with guest instructors and other professionals from dance related industries. Additionally, the trainees rehearse and perform with the main company and Ballet Austin II in main stage, touring and educational performances. More...

Summer Intensive 2012 Audition Tour

Senior Summer Intensive Program Information

Contact Information
Company Manager, Eugene Alvarez
512.476.9051 ext. 128
eugene.alvarez@balletaustin.org