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.

IAN ANDERSON-CONLON
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Ian trained at Indiana Ballet Conservatory’s Pre-Professional Day Program on full scholarship. He was then a Trainee at Kansas City Ballet on full scholarship. After one year, Ian was promoted to Kansas City Ballet II for the 2022-2024 Seasons. Ian has danced numerous roles in Val Caniparoli’s North American premiere of Jekyll and Hyde, Michael Pink’s Dracula, Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, Mark Morris’s Sandpaper, and Devon Carney’s Peter Pan and Giselle. Ian also performed at The Kennedy Center in Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker.

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.

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.

ANGELINA CARBONARO
Butler Fellow: 2023-2024 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

From Clearwater, Florida, Angelina began her training with Tampa Bay Ballet at age 6. In 2018, she joined Next Generation Ballet’s trainee program and studied under Philip Neal, where she performed several classical and contemporary works. Some of her most notable roles were Snow Queen, Clara, and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Kitri in Don Quixote, Bluebird Pas de Deux in Sleeping Beauty, in addition to other roles in George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, Swan Lake, and Le Corsaire. Angelina attended summer intensives at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet.

ALEXA DOLLAR
Butler Fellow: 2023-2024 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Alexa began her training at the age of 3. She progressed into pre-professional training with the Colburn Dance Academy in Los Angeles when she was 14. Since being with Colburn, Ms. Dollar has performed lead roles in George Balanchine’s Motzartiana, Justin Peck’s Pulcinella Variations, and Jerome Robbin’s Goldberg Variations and Antique Epigraphs. Over the past 6 summers, Alexa has trained with Boston Ballet School and Pacific Northwest Ballet School.

GRAYSON GALLELLA
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Originally from Tehachapi, California, Grayson began training at the age of 10 at a small local studio and completed his pre-professional training with Civic Dance Center and Bakersfield City Ballet, under the direction of Erica Ueberroth. He has had the opportunity to perform roles such as the Cavalier and the Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, Basilio in Don Quixote, and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. He has attended summer programs at The Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Ballet Austin.

KATELYN HAGEL
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Born in Daegu, South Korea and raised in Ridgewood, NJ, Katelyn began her training at Petrov Ballet School where she performed the roles of Snow Queen, Dewdrop, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker with The Catskill Mountain Foundation. In 2020, she joined The Washington School of Ballet’s Professional Training Division under the tutelage of Xiomara Reyes, Rinat Imaev, and artistic director Julie Kent, and was promoted to Trainee the following year. Katelyn’s repertoire with the company included Julie Kent’s and Victor Barbee’s staging of Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, and George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. She spent her summers training at San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The Washington School of Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet.

AMAYA JOSEPH
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Amaya was born in Beaufort, SC and moved around the country due to her being a military child. She began her serious ballet training at The Ballet Studio in Murrieta, CA directed by Mark Erickson. Amaya attended Orlando Ballet School under the direction of Diedre Miles Burger and later attended The Washington School of Ballet as a trainee, under the direction of Xiomara Reyes and Rinat Imaev. While at TWSB, she performed with the company in Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Julie Kent’s The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, and Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker. Amaya attended summer intensives at MCB, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, & PNB.

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.

ASHER VOORHEES
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

Asher began his training with Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre at the age of 12 under the direction of Diane Cypher. He performed Nutcracker Prince, Trepak, Flower Cavalier, and Snow King in The Nutcracker and Albrecht in Giselle. After graduating high school early, he was accepted as a professional division student at Pacific Northwest Ballet. He has attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet. Most recently, Asher performed in Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon, corps roles in Coppelia, and Balanchine’s Square Dance.