Stephen Mills
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Under the artistic leadership of Mr. Mills, Ballet Austin has emerged as one of the nation's premiere developing ballet organizations. In his inaugural season as artistic director he attracted attention from around the United States with his world-premiere production of Hamlet, hailed in Dance Magazine as "...sleek and sophisticated."
The Washington Post recognized Ballet Austin as "one of the nations' best-kept secrets" in 2002 after Ballet Austin performed A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was commissioned by and performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He led the Company to perform his The Taming of the Shrew in 2004 at The Kennedy Center, and his work has been showcased in New York at the choreographic showcase, Ballet Builders and at the Joyce Theater. In 1998 he was the only American choreographer chosen to present his work, Ashes, at the Rencontres Choregraphiques 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 Atlanta 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 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 Jose Greco II.
Mr. Mills has performed with a wide variety of companies, dancing a very diverse repertoire. He was a performing member of 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. 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 committed as a master teacher to developing dancers. He has been a teacher at many pre-professional academies including 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 also serves on the Board of Trustees of the national dance service organization, Dance USA.
