Known for his innovative and collaborative
choreographic projects, Stephen
Mills has works in the repertories of companies
across the US and around the world. From his
inaugural season as Artistic Director in 2000, Mills
attracted attention from around the United States
with his world-premiere production of Hamlet,
hailed by Dance Magazine as “...sleek and
sophisticated.”
The
Washington Post
recognized Ballet Austin as “one of the nation's
best-kept secrets” in 2004 after Ballet Austin
performed Mills' world premiere of
The
Taming of the Shrew,
commissioned by and performed at The John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The Company was first invited to perform at Kennedy
Center in January of 2002 with the Mills production
of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and at The Joyce
Theater (NYC) in 2004. In 2005 after two years of
extensive research, Mills led 13 organizations
through a community-wide human rights collaboration
that culminated in the world premiere work
Light
/ The Holocaust & Humanity
Project ,
after which the Austin Anti-Defamation League
awarded Mills its
2006 Humanitarian Award.
In 1998 Mills was the choreographer chosen to
represent the U.S. through his work, Ashes,
at the Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de
Seine-
Saint-Denis in Paris. Most recently, Mr. Mills was
awarded the Steinberg Award, the top honor at the
Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur International
Choreographic Competition for One/The Body’s
Grace. Mr. Mills has created more than 40 works
for companies in the United States and abroad. His
ballets are in the repertories of such companies as
The Hong Kong Ballet, American Ballet Theatre Studio
Company, The Atlanta Ballet, The Milwaukee Ballet,
Washington Ballet, Cuballet in Havana, Cuba,
BalletMet Columbus, The Dayton Ballet, The Sarasota
Ballet of Florida, Ballet Pacifica, Dallas Black
Dance Theater, The Louisville Ballet, The Nashville
Ballet, Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, The Sacramento
Ballet and Kaleidoscope. He has worked in
collaboration with such luminaries as the eight-time
Grammy Award-winning band, Asleep at the Wheel,
Shawn Colvin and internationally renowned flamenco
artist José Greco II. As a dancer Mr. Mills
performed with a wide variety of companies such as
the world-renowned Harkness Ballet and The American
Dance Machine under the direction of Lee Theadore.
He also performed with the Cincinnati Ballet and The
Indianapolis Ballet Theater before becoming a part
of Ballet Austin. Mr. Mills has danced principal
roles in the Balanchine repertoire as well as works
by Choo-San Goh, John Butler, Ohad Naharin, Vicente
Nebrada, Domy Reiter-Soffer and Mark Dendy.
In addition to his work as a choreographer, Mr.
Mills is a master teacher committed to developing
dancers. He has been invited as guest faculty at
many pre-professional academies including Jacob’s
Pillow, Goucher College; Booker T. Washington High
School for the Performing Arts in Dallas; The
Virginia School of the Arts; The New Orleans Center
for the Creative Arts; Stephens College and Point
Park College in Pittsburgh. Mr. Mills is a member of
the national dance service organization Dance/USA
and has served both in leadership roles and on the
Board of Trustees for the organization. |
