BALLET AUSTIN TWO

Endowed by Sarah and Ernest Butler through the Ballet Austin Foundation

Ballet Austin TWO, established in 1999, is Ballet Austin’s second company. Currently, 40% of Ballet Austin’s main company positions are filled with Ballet Austin TWO graduates.

Ballet Austin TWO dancers are selected through a nationwide audition process and make Austin their home to participate in this unique training opportunity. With over 40 performances per season, they dance with the main company for larger productions and present their own extensive roster of work in Austin and on tour across the state.

Dancers range in age from 18-23 and are employed for a 32-week season. They are contracted with Ballet Austin TWO for up to two years, during which time they receive artistic guidance, career management counseling, and job placement assistance. Ballet Austin TWO members take company class, augmented by their own classes and rehearsals conducted by Ballet Austin’s artistic staff.

To date, more than 175 graduates of Ballet Austin TWO and the Butler Fellowship Program have secured contracts with more than 74 companies across the nation, including Ballet Austin, Sarasota Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Ballet Idaho, Nashville Ballet, Alabama Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theater, Oklahoma City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Orlando Ballet, River North Dance Chicago, Charlotte Ballet, Boston Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Alberta Ballet, DanceWorks Chicago, Northwest Dance Project, Kansas City Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Collage Dance Collective, Wideman/Davis Dance, Spectrum/Byrd, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Thang Dao Dance, Grand Rapids Ballet, Nai-Ni Chen, and Big Muddy Dance Company.

Ballet Austin provides rehearsal and performance shoes, onsite physical therapy, as well as the option to participate in a group health insurance plan. Additionally, through a partnership with PeletonU, Ballet Austin TWO dancers may pursue a college degree. The competency-based structure of this online program allows dancers to complete a two-year Associates Degree in as few as nine months and includes access to tutors and advisors at PeletonU’s local campuses.

Recruitment

Ballet Austin TWO dancers are recruited through the Butler Fellowship Program, Ballet Austin’s Summer Intensive Program and partnerships with select training institutions across the country.  Dancers age 18 and older may also follow the Company Audition process for consideration.

For more information about Ballet Austin TWO please visit our video gallery. You may also email Eugene Alvarez or call 512-476-9151 with any additional questions.

NATHAN BENDER
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Originally from Bismarck, North Dakota, Nathan began his training at Norther Plains Dance.  At 17, he joined the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School where he performed numerous classical and contemporary works and later joined PBT’s Graduate Program.  There he was chosen to perform in company works set by Susan Jaffe, Terrence Orr, and Adam McKinney.  At PBT, Nathan performed alongside the company in Michael Pink’s Dracula, George Balanchine’s Diamonds and Theme and Variations, and Susan Jaffe’s original Swan Lake.  He attended summer intensives at Louisville Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.  He danced most recently with BalletMet2.

TUSCANY BRAMWELL
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Tuscany was raised in Miami Beach, Florida. At age two, she began studying dance at her local dance studio, Dancing Plus, and at age five she enrolled at Miami City Ballet School, where she trained for eleven years. Ms. Bramwell spent multiple summers at the School of American Ballet (SAB) and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Following her second summer at SAB in 2022, Ms. Bramwell was invited to enroll as a year-round student. While at SAB, she had the opportunity to perform featured roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade and Raymonda Variations. She also danced in the corps de ballet of Jerome Robbin’s Glass Pieces, and as a demi soloist in Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2.

MADDIE BROWN
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Originally from Iowa City, Iowa, Maddie began training at the Nolte Academy of Dance under the direction of Leslie Nolte and Grace Snider. After two years at the Boston Ballet School Pre Professional Division, Ms. Brown studied at Indiana University where she received a degree in Ballet Performance and Business Operations. At the Jacobs School of Music, Maddie performed in many roles including Ballad Unto by Dwight Rhoden, the principal role in Valse Fantaisie by George Balanchine, and The Sugar Plum Fairy in Sasha Janes’ The Nutcracker.

KATRINA CHEN
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Katrina grew up in the Bay Area, California where she began training at Ayako School of Ballet. At 15, she enrolled in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, where she completed their graduate program. She then spent two years as a trainee with Nashville Ballet before being promoted to NB2 last year. At Nashville Ballet, she performed in Paul Vasterling’s Nutcracker and Romeo & Juliet, and Balanchine’s Serenade. She also performed lead roles in community engagements including Marie in Degas & the Little Dancer and Lola in Maria Konrad’s Dia de los Muertos. Katrina’s summer training includes Dutch National Ballet Academy, San Francisco Ballet School and Miami City Ballet School.

ALAYNA HAMADE
Butler Fellow: 2023-2025 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Native to Austin, Alayna began dancing at the age of three. She received her pre-professional training from Kelly Yankle at the Austin Dance Conservatory. At the age of 16, Alayna was accepted to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on scholarship. During her time at UNCSA, Alayna performed the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara in Ilya Kozadayev’s The Nutcracker as well as principal and soloist roles in Claudia Schrier’s First Impulse and George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante. Alayna is excited to be back in her hometown as a member of Ballet Austin.

CALEB HOLT
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Caleb started dancing at Hosanna Dance Studio at the age of six. After graduating high school, he went on to join the Ballet Program at the University of Utah. There he worked with many choreographers such as Kevin Thomas, Sussanne Haag, and Penny Saunders. Then he joined the Ballet Trainee program at the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet, where he has performed in many different ballets such as Esmeralda, Winning Works 2024 and 2025, and Gerald Arpino’s Kettentanz.

GRACE JARAMILLO
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Grace began her ballet training under Alison Kravenko before joining Boston Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Program. She continued her studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she earned a degree in Ballet and Environmental Science. During her time at IU, Grace performed featured roles in George Balanchine’s Tarantella, My’Kal Stromile’s Baile de la Genté, and Justin Peck’s Heatscape, among other classical and contemporary works.

NYA TINIO-MITCHELL
Butler Fellow: 2022-2024 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Nya began training with the Ballet Austin Academy at the age of three. She’s enjoyed performing in several Ballet Austin productions, including Stephen Mills’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker, along with Septime Webre’s ALICE and Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan. With the academy, Nya was featured in Mills’ Coppélia and Paquita, and pieces by Jennifer Hart, Christopher Swaim, and Alexa Capareda. Nya has also performed as a soloist with Performa/Dance. She’s trained in summer programs with the Royal Danish Ballet, Alonzo King LINES, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (New York), Miami City Ballet, BalletMet, and Boston Ballet.

JOSHUA TYEBKHAN
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Originally from Pasadena, CA, Joshua trained with Pasadena Civic Ballet for ten years, followed by two years at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City, where he started in 2023. During his time at SAB, he performed roles in Balanchine’s Serenade, Western Symphony, Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, and Cortége Hongrois, Christopher Wheeldon’s Scènes de Ballet, and Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces. He was honored to perform in New York City Ballet programs twice as an SAB student. Additionally, Joshua has performed with Hollywood Ballet and Little Women Ballet.

AVERY WOOD
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2025

Originally from Tehachapi, California, Avery began training at age seven. His professional training began at Los Angeles Ballet Academy with Andrea Paris-Gutierrez and continued at Bakersfield City Ballet under the direction of Erica Ueberrothi. From there, Avery moved to Las Vegas to join Nevada Ballet Theatre’s second company, under the direction of Don Bellamy. Avery then traveled to Utah to become a Ballet West trainee under the direction of James Paine, Jeff Rogers, and Adam Sklute. Avery has had the privilege to perform works such as The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Symphony in C, Trey McIntyre’s Second Before the Ground, Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, Val Caniparoli’s Jekyll and Hyde, and many more.