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.

CHRISTINA COLE
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Christina began her training at 7 years old with Mary Geiger. In 2018, she was accepted into Boston Ballet School’s Professional Division under Margaret Tracey where she was a recipient of the Bruce Marks scholarship. She performed as Clara in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, and in school productions of Bournonville’s Le Conservatoire and excerpts from Copellia. In 2022, she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division under Peter Boal, performing in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Serenade. She has also attended numerous summer intensives on scholarship, including Boston Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, Complexions, and Pacific Northwest 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.

CELENA FORNELL
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Celena Fornell is from Seattle, Washington. She trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet School on full scholarship and at Boston Ballet School. While at PNB, Celena has performed in many company productions, including Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon, Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake and Carmina Burana, Petipa’s Giselle, as well as the title role of Snow White in Bruce Wells’ Snow White. She was also a participant of the Student Exchange between PNB and The National Ballet of Canada in 2022.

ISABELLE LAPIERRE
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Isabelle began her dance training in Columbus, OH, with BalletMet.  At age 14, she was invited to the School of American Ballet in New York City and performed in SAB’s Lecture-Demonstrations and with the New York City Ballet in their 2022 Spring Gala. She spent a post-graduate year with Miami City Ballet School performing in their company’s productions of Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and Symphony In Three Movements. Her summer training included the Paris Opera Ballet, Académie Princesse Grace Monaco, American Ballet Theatre, and Royal Danish Ballet. Isabelle is also pursuing an undergraduate degree in clinical psychology.

JORDAN LOVELACE
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Originally from Dallas, TX, Jordan trained at The Dallas Conservatory and Booker T. Washington for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 2015, he won the “Senior Grand Prix” at YAGP and in 2017 was awarded a scholarship to London’s Royal Ballet School summer intensive.  In 2018, Jordan attended The Washington School of Ballet dancing works by Mimmo Miccolis and Xiomara Reyes, and roles including Solor in La Bayadere and Basilio in Don Quixote. With The Washington Ballet, Jordan danced the Prince in The Nutcracker as well as company and character roles in Julie Kent’s and Victor Barbee’s  Sleeping Beauty.  A year later, he went to San Francisco Ballet School and then to Houston Ballet as an apprentice for the 2021-22 season. In Houston, Jordan danced in Stanton Welch’s Silvia and Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

JORDEN MAJEAU
Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Born in New Orleans, Jorden trained at Jefferson Ballet Theater under the instruction of Kimberly and Kenneth Beck. He spent time in Salt Lake City as a Trainee at Ballet West where he trained under Jeff Rodgers and academy faculty. Jorden is excited to see what Austin holds for him this season. He would like to thank his family for the support they have provided him and to thank Ballet Austin for the opportunity to bring magic to the stage this year.

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.

JACKSON RANKIN
Butler Fellow: 2022-2023 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2023

Originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Jackson spent his early years moving around the U.S. playing numerous sports and adventuring outdoors. He started dancing at a small studio in Northern California where he trained for 5 years. He later received a scholarship to dance with the Goh Ballet Academy under the direction of Chan Hon Goh. Since Jackson joined Goh Ballet Academy, he has danced in notable roles such as Basilio in Don Quixote, Franz in Coppelia, and the Nutcracker Prince. He has spent his summers training with Ballet West, The School of Washington Ballet, and Goh Ballet Academy.

JULIUS TAIBER
Butler Fellow: 2020-2022 | Joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2022

Born in Munich, Germany and raised in Greenville, SC, Julius began his early dance training at the International Ballet Academy at the age of 9. From 2014-2017, he trained at the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts and then with the Next Generation Ballet from 2017 – 2018. He then attended Houston Ballet Academy under the direction of Claudio Munoz where he was given the opportunity to perform in Stanton Welch’s Bruiser and The Nutcracker, as well as Ben Stevenson’s Sleeping Beauty. He has attended summer programs at Next Generation Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ellison Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Houston Ballet.