Though known for being bold and experimental (last March's Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project was truly stellar), Ballet Austin also handles more traditional pieces with both precision and wit. This weekend they'll stage Romeo & Juliet, which combines classic aesthetics, Stephen Mills' solid choreography, and Sergei Prokofiev's powerful (and surprisingly recognizable) score. more ›

This weekend Ballet Austin will re-stage one of its most powerful and memorable pieces -- Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. Originally premiering in 2005, this 75-minute contemporary ballet was inspired by the affecting story of a Holocaust survivor and addresses discrimination and the importance of the preservation of human rights. more ›

Because it’s a cheerful holiday tradition and a chance for younger artists to build some performance experience, many dance companies put on their own version of The Nutcracker each year. Some productions are a little more dazzling than others, of course, and Austinites are dealt a pretty lucky hand with Ballet Austin’s staging of this familiar but always charming story. Capable dancers, fab costumes and top-notch musical accompaniment from the Austin Symphony Orchestra explain why this has become an unmissable December event for so many of us. more ›

He's back. That cheeky, lascivious child genius who burnt out young (even for the time) at thirty-five, the master composer whose legend has inspired tributes of all types is again the subject for The Mozart Project, a triptych of pieces that are either directly indebted his work or to the spirit that motivated them. more ›

This weekend, Ballet Austin will stage the world premiere of The Mozart Project, a three-part production celebrating the music of a master. With the help of Graham Reynolds, DJ Spooky and Dr. Michelle Schumann, Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills will examine a few classic pieces from a contemporary point of view, and just as he did with last year's Bach Project, create something that is both an homage and an expansion. more ›

As part of the Dance Film Series, a partnership between Austin Film Festival and Ballet Austin, you can catch Center Stage on the big screen this Sunday and, directly afterward, attend a beginner's Ballet class at the studio. more ›

This weekend marks the world premiere of Stephen Mills' The Magic Flute, an original ballet that combines innovative scenery, costumes and choreography with Mozart's classic operatic score. more ›

• Ballet Austin director looks at "Black Swan.”
• Mmm, locally made goat cheese. We had no clue that the Pure Luck Farm & Dairy can make up to 550 pounds of cheese each week.
• Ewww! What a drive -thru burger really looks like, compared to the ads.

Former ballerinas, holiday traditionalists and general romantics can agree - the Christmas season doesn’t truly begin until The Nutcracker is staged. For Austin, that means this weekend marks the beginning of it all, as Ballet Austin opens the curtains on this beloved and historic ballet for the 48th year. more ›

Loved and lauded the first time around, Thang Dao's Quiet Imprint will be again be presented this weekend by Ballet Austin. This emotional piece captures the experience of being Vietnamese in Central Texas, combining dance and music in a compelling way. more ›

Ballet Austin’s season opener set a high standard last night, as Kai and Carmina Burana seemed to shake the audience out of a summer stupor and serve as a reminder that there’s more to life than lazy days and sun-drenched apathy. more ›

Ballet Austin officially kicks off its 2010/11 season this Friday with an impressive duo of performances. Combining live orchestra, original choreography, dancing talent and a chorus of over 150 Conspirare singers, this evening of dance will start the cultural year off with confidence and enthusiasm - exactly what we've come to expect from Stephen Mills and his talented supporting cast. more ›

With elegance and a little glamour, Ballet Austin will hold a fundraiser on Thursday in celebration of The Red Shoes, a cinematic gem known as one of the best ballet-themed movies ever made. more ›

Coppelia’s storyline rests on a few potentially intriguing foundations: a lover’s quarrel, a crazy old man who thinks he’s Dr. Frankenstein, and an inevitable happy ending. But this is all irrelevant. The success of Ballet Austin’s latest show has little to do with the dramatic merit of mechanical dolls and mad scientists; a lively score (composed by Leo Delibes and performed by the Austin Symphony), a cast of talented dancers, and the appealing aesthetics we’ve come to expect from this company make Coppelia a success on this modern stage. more ›

This Mother’s Day weekend, Ballet Austin presents Coppelia, a light-hearted story about deception, dolls and the ups and downs of love. For the most part this 140-year-old ballet follows tradition in terms of choreography and presentation, but as is usually the case when it comes to a Ballet Austin production, Stephen Mills has added his personal creative spin, ensuring a night at the ballet that will be both classic and lively. more ›

Last weekend marked the premiere of Ballet Austin’s Truth & Beauty/The Bach Project, an emotionally charged and enjoyably challenging artistic collaboration driven by choreographer Stephen Mills. Inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and shaped by modern interpretations of the composer’s work, this three-part piece mixed classic sounds with modern sensibilities, asking the audience to consider the ways in which past permeates present. more ›

Austin is a fine place for dance lovers to live. We have a talented and forward-thinking ballet company in our midst as well as enough magnetism to attract world-class dance companies for the occasional visit. In the space of a week we’ll have two chances to see some raw excitement on our stages, so consider the following opportunities as you plan your culture calendar. more ›

Jazz fans can hit up KLRU tonight at 8 p.m. to catch a special In Context on Austin's jazz scene. Tonight's program features pianist James Polk and singer Pam Hart, as well as the Paris 49, among others. If you've got a jazz-on-tv itch to scratch but can't catch the show on-air tonight, check the In Context web site. more ›

On Valentine's weekend, Ballet Austin trots out a brand new -- world premiere new, not just a little new -- evening length piece titled Truth & Beauty/The Bach Project. Truth & Beauty/The Bach Project, is based in part on the painting "Loophole" by Wes Hemphill, which hangs in Ballet Austin artistic director Stephen Mills's house. The new piece is also the first premiere from Mills since his 2008 collaboration with composer Graham Reynolds and artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, Cult of Color: Call to Color. more ›

Ballet Austin artistic director Stephen Mills is well-known for his innovative (and sometimes controversial) choreography, and over the past few years he’s proven that even a classic Christmas show can offer a few surprises. We sat down with Mills between rehearsals to chat about the upcoming show, what he's working on next, and why he never wants to leave Austin. more ›

Ballet Austin’s production of Hamlet is silent, but it is not Shakespeare without words. It’s Shakespeare embodied, Shakespeare in motion, Shakespeare, in a powerful way, set free. Directed by Stephen Mills, this ambitious endeavor could’ve crumbled in less capable hands. Instead, it takes flight. Set to the appropriately unpredictable rhythms of Phillip Glass, Shakespeare’s grace jumps off the page and into the bodies of the dancers, who in turn radiate it out to the stage more ›

This weekend holds an irresistible opportunity for Shakespeare fans, ballet aficionados and romance-seekers who aren’t bothered by a little morbidity - Ballet Austin will stage Hamlet at the Long Center this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. more ›

To those who shun holiday traditions and know no other form of dancing than grinding on your friends at Creekside Lounge, we invite you to consider an intriguingly classy alternative. You may not realize it, but Austin has a hard-working, ambitious and innovative ballet company in its midst, and they have bestowed upon us one of the greatest gifts of all—a fresh, energetic rendering of a classic Christmas show. more ›

Ballet Austin will be the venue of choice for a presentation of avant garde visuals, performance and music its organizers are calling Oko Jumu, “the name that the Andamanese call a person that has either come near death, spent time alone in the jungle to talk with spirits, or talked to spirits in a dream," according to a tome by the symbolism-obsessed Joseph Campbell. more ›

Ballet Austin’s Artistic Director, Stephen Mills, and locally based (internationally loved) composer Graham Reynolds are two of the three collaborative masterminds behind Ballet Austin’s presentation of Cult of Color: Call to Color. Along with visual artist Trenton Doyle Hancock—who created the sets and designed the costumes, and upon whose painted characters the show is based—Mills and Reynolds have put together an astounding presentation. We spoke with Mills and Graham about creating the show. more ›

There are not enough good words to say about Cult of Color: Call to Color. Attempts to capture the performance will only wind up sounding like some over-hyped ad in the Sunday Times Arts section. But Cult really is: Astonishing! Amazing! Fifty Thumbs Up! Visually Stunning! Musically Breathtaking! and The Dance of a Lifetime! In short, it very much deserves a Run-Don’t-Walk-to-See-It recommendation, this urgency compounded by the fact that the show is only slated for a very short run. more ›

He’s a master of sampling and an early proponent of turntablism, but you won’t find Carl Stone working with Kanye any time soon. Instead, throughout his musical career, minimalist pioneer Stone has taken experimented with electronics and sound in a way that recalls his hero John Cage and other irrepressible avant-garde musicians of his ilk. more ›

If you're not familiar with the industrious Balmorhea-ns, you're doing yourself a grave disservice, and, frankly, need to get in touch with the scene. The music is vast, yet meticulously restrained: melancholy, determined pianos slowly upended by cellos, soft-spoken conversations between two acoustic guitars, and distant, inscrutable audio samples that elaborate on what each piece seems to urgently chronicle. more ›

The Vortex has remounted one of its first big hits, Alan Bowne's Beirut. The original production put Vortex on the map as the place to go for cutting-edge, indeed bleeding-edge, work. With a script that's a tad dated but still meaty, the show explores the political, social, and emotional fallout of the AIDS crisis. It includes full nudity and sexually explicit material, all done to serve a story that's weighty and intense. Thu-Sun, 8pm, through 1/26. [Reservations: 478-5282] more ›