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 ›

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 ›

At the 2011 Austin Human Rights Campaign Gala, Stephen Mills and Dr. Brent Hasty will be receiving the Visibility Award for their outstanding contributions to the community. The HRC Visibility Award recognizes individuals in the LGBT community who live open and honest lives at home, work, and in their greater community.

Stephen has been the Artistic Director of Ballet Austin since 2000 and has attracted national attention for his shows. The Washington Post called the company “one of the nation's best kept secrets” in 2004. He has received multiple honors and awards for his work as a choreographer, and created more than 40 works for companies throughout the world.

Dr. Hasty has worked extensively in the educational field supporting creative learning through his work with mindPop, which uses arts education programs to help Austin students become inspired thinkers, and Big Thought of Dallas, which focuses on building partnerships that allow all children access to quality educational opportunities.

The couple mark the beginning of their 13 year relationship with the day Princess Diana died, the day they made the decision to move in together. We had a chance to talk to the two about receiving the HRC's award, their thoughts on being gay role models, and the gay community in Austin.

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 ›

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 ›

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 ›

As usual, December’s events calendar is overflowing with festive possibility, so the time has come to pick and choose your diversions carefully. Ballet Austin’s The Nutcracker, taking place at The Long Center for the second year in a row, clearly ranks as one of the more classic and sure-to-please options available; we caught the show last weekend and found it a fun beginning to the next few weeks of holiday shenanigans. 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 ›

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’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 ›

The exhibit traces a two-and-a-half-year collaboration among three Texas-based artists: Trenton Doyle Hancock of Houston and Austinites Graham Reynolds and Stephen Mills. Cult of Color: Call to Color is a chapter in Hancock’s ongoing artistic mythology, which incorporates stories about imaginative creatures like the Mounds and the Vegans. On display will be Hancock’s colorful paintings, notes, and sketches that inspired the design and concept of the ballet, as well as artwork that inspired the backdrop curtains, stage props, and costumes. more ›