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, with dancers also serving as apprentices to the main company. Currently, more than half 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 200 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.

MADELINE “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.

ANIKA CROUSER
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Anika received her early training from Dublin Dance Center and Columbus City Ballet. She supplemented her training with several summer intensive programs including Chautauqua Institution, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and BalletMet. She graduated from Southern Methodist University In 2023, where she received a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Creative Advertising. At SMU, her notable performance experience includes George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Duex, Silas Farley’s Meadows Serenade, Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels, and Adam Houghland’s Less.

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.

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.

ALEXANDRA OWENS
Butler Fellow: 2021-2023 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Alexandra began her dance training at the age of 3 in Wichita, KS, under the direction of Jill Landrith. She performed with Ballet Wichita from 2013-2019. In the fall of 2019, she joined Next Generation Ballet’s trainee program under the direction of Philip Neal. Additionally, Alexandra has attended summer intensives at Kansas City Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Ballet Austin, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Next Generation Ballet. With Next Generation Ballet, she performed the roles of Clara and Shepherdess in The Nutcracker, as well as the Pas de Trois and Spanish in Swan Lake.

ASHER VOORHEES
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2024

(More information to come.)