Ballet Austin

Image:Ballet Austin window front at night.jpg

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Ballet Austin is the 12th largest classical ballet company in the US, and also operates the largest combined training facility associated with a professional ballet company in the United States. Each year the Ballet Austin company performs ballets from a wide variety of choreographers, including Stephen Mills.{{cite news |last1=Moon |first1=Ashley |title=Ballet Austin Largest Ballet Academy |url=https://resurgencebehavioralhealth.com/blog/ballet-austin-is-fourth-largest-academy-in-the-country/ |access-date=3 February 2022 |work=Resurgence Behavioral Health |date=9 December 2021}}

Performances

Ballet Austin has performed in a State Department trip to Europe as well as at the Joyce Theater in New York City and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Education

The Ballet Austin Academy serves more than 900 students each year as one of the largest classical ballet schools in the country. It offers classes from creative movement, ages three and four, all the way to pre-professional. The academy students are given the opportunity to perform in the company production The Nutcracker, performed by Ballet Austin during the month of December for more than 53 years. Ballet Austin's Nutcracker is the longest running in the state of Texas.

Ballet Austin's apprentice company, Ballet Austin II, offers an opportunity for post-high school, advanced dancers to hone their skills. Established in 1999 by associate artistic director Michelle Martin, Ballet Austin II is made up of 10 emerging artists.

Founded in 2007, the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness serves over 8,000 people with year-round classes in ballet to modern, hip hop to hula, and jazz to Broadway. The company has developed outreach initiatives that reach 31 Central Texas school districts and 200 other area non-profits.

Ballet Austin offers fitness and dance programs for the public, such as yoga, Pilates, adult ballet, hula, hip-hop, jazz, tap, modern and musical theater.

Facilities

Ballet Austin is located in a 34,000 sq/ft facility named the Butler Dance Education Center in downtown Austin at 3rd Street and San Antonio Street. The center features administrative offices, box office, eight rehearsal studios, a 1,500 sq. ft fully equipped Pilates studio and the AustinVentures StudioTheater with 287 seats.

Reception

Dance Magazine called the ensemble "sleek and sophisticated", while The Washington Post dubbed it "one of the nation's best kept ballet secrets".{{cite news |last1=Traiger |first1=Lisa |title=Rearranging the 'Shrew' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/01/02/rearranging-the-shrew/ebfb9922-e2fe-403c-85da-ff325a4a9aae/ |access-date=3 February 2022 |work=Washington Post |date=2 January 2004}} Mills' work with Ballet Austin has been declared" whimsical and fantastic" (Dallas Morning News), "effortlessly striking" (Dance View Times), and "meaningful" (Pointe magazine).

Artists

=Artistic Director=

Named Artistic Director in 2000, Stephen Mills is an American dancer and choreographer.{{cite web | url = https://balletaustin.org/company-performances/stephen-mills | title = Artistic Director Stephen Mills | access-date = 18 November 2015}}

=Company dancers=

There are twenty two full-time professional dancers, recruited from an annual 30-city audition tour.

As of November 2015:{{cite web | url = https://balletaustin.org/company-performances/artists | title = Ballet Austin II | publisher = Company Dancers | access-date = 12 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151119121917/https://balletaustin.org/company-performances/artists | archive-date = 2015-11-19 | url-status = dead }}

Ian J. Bethany
Orlando Julius Canova
Edward Carr
Oliver Greene-Cramer
James Fuller
Ashley Lynn Sherman
Rebecca Johnson
Aara Krumpe
Grace Morton
Kevin Murdock-Waters
Preston Andrew Patterson
Elise Pekarek
Chelsea Renner
Brittany Strickland
Christopher Swaim
Cassia Wilson
Jaime Lynn Witts

=Ballet Austin II dancers=

As of September 2016:{{cite web | url = https://balletaustin.org/company-performances/artists | title = Ballet Austin II | publisher = Ballet Austin | access-date = 27 April 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151119121917/https://balletaustin.org/company-performances/artists | archive-date = 19 November 2015 | url-status = dead }}