As a season ticket holder, you’ll receive a discount* on your package and any additional tickets you purchase (up to 8 per production), special offers before the general public, Updates from the Studio, and an invitation to see our Ballet Austin TWO & Butler Fellows Dancers in their spring performance, and FREE exchanges on your tickets.

*Additional ticket discounts are based on your package discount (Example: 3-show package receives a 15% discount on additional tickets, up to 8 tickets per production)

Stephen Mills creates a provocative and sensual retelling of this fairytale romance. Heavily influenced by French filmmaker Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film La Belle et la Bête, the design and stylistic elements reflect the magic and mystery of that ground-breaking movie. Striking sets and fantastical, Alexander McQueen-inspired costumes, both designed by Michael B. Raiford, create an other-worldly setting for this story that redefines true beauty and the search for love. Graham Reynolds’ filmic score blends classical instruments with industrial sounds to create a remarkable auditory setting that is achingly beautiful and hopelessly romantic.

This one-of-a-kind dance work will surprise, intrigue, and leave you wanting more!

CONCEPT & CHOREOGRAPHY | Stephen Mills
MUSIC | Graham Reynolds
COSTUME & SET DESIGN | Michael B. Raiford
Commissioned by Dr. Joaquin Delgado and the 3M Corporation.

Waltz into the winter season with the spectacular 62nd Annual Presentation of The Nutcracker…the longest-running production of this holiday classic in the state of Texas!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with excitement, elegance, and a trio of exceptional dances!

Polyphonia, considered Christopher Wheeldon’s breakthrough contemporary ballet, pairs four couples to the spiky and complex music of Hungarian composer György Ligeti. The work is described by dancers as “the curtain goes up and it’s like being shot out of a cannon.” Incorporating this music made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 thriller Eyes Wide Shut, Wheeldon’s Polyphonia made its premiere in 2001 with the New York City Ballet.

Stephen Mills’ Desire finds passion and raw human emotion taking the spotlight. Featuring the exquisite music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, this breathtaking pas de deux is inspired by the challenging emotions of letting go. Performed in Paris, New York City, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, Desire returns home to Austin. Dance Magazine proclaimed the “… energy was high, the gestures crisp, and the partnering bold…a strong sense of aesthetic purpose…”

The music of legendary crooner Tony Bennett provides the perfect soundtrack to Jessica Lang’s ZigZag. Recently created for American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin is the first company to acquire the work since its premiere two years ago. Lang worked with Tony Bennett to incorporate both his songs and visual artwork into her fun-filled dance work featuring 14 dancers. With a festive array of brilliant colors, a burst of polka-dots, and (of course) zig zags, this upbeat piece brings together seven decades of Tony Bennett’s time-honored vocal favorites in a recording that also features a special duet by Lady Gaga. With costumes by Wes Gordon, creative director of the Carolina Herrera fashion house, this work brings together the worlds of theater, dance, and fashion.

Polyphonia
CHOREOGRAPHY | Christopher Wheeldon
MUSIC | György Ligeti
COSTUME DESIGN | Holly Hynes
LIGHTING DESIGN | Mark Stanley

Desire
CHOREOGRAPHY | Stephen Mills
MUSIC | Arvo Pärt
COSTUME DESIGN | Stephen Mills
LIGHTING DESIGN | Tony Tucci

ZigZag
CHOREOGRAPHY | Jessica Lang
MUSIC | Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga
COSTUME DESIGN | Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera
LIGHTING DESIGN | Nicole Pearce

Following the success of POE / A Tale of Madness, Stephen Mills presents two World Premieres! We celebrate the arrival of the season of wildflowers and renewal as Stephen Mills shares a pair of new works.

The first work is set to Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s “String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96.” Nicknamed the American Quartet, Dvořák wrote this piece while enjoying a summer vacation in Spillville, Iowa. Completed in only thirteen days, this was Dvořák’s second attempt at writing a quartet in F major. Featuring live accompaniment by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the moving melodies of Dvořák’s composition evoke the exuberant feelings of springtime.

The second piece on the program features the music of contemporary composer and Grammy award-winning artist Bryce Dessner: guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter for his band, The National. Called “a vital and rare force in new music,” Dessner’s compositions have been performed by Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and many more. He has worked with a variety of artists, including Philip Glass, Paul Simon, Bon Iver, and Taylor Swift on her song “Coney Island.” Dessner’s “Concerto for Two Pianos,” written for and first performed by Katia and Marielle Labèque, premiered in 2018 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Dessner regularly tours with his band, including a recent performance at Austin’s Moody Center in November of 2023.

Love’s Gentle Spring unites the beauty of spring, music, and movement harmoniously in concert.

We close the season on Mother’s Day Weekend with the most enduring story of young love, Romeo & Juliet. Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s unforgettable score, performed live by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, this time-honored tale of “star-crossed lovers” leaves us believing in the sweet promise of first love. Tommy Bourgeois designed stunningly beautiful, period-appropriate costumes and a set brilliantly illuminated by an Italianate tapestry of stained-glass colors, both of which paired exquisitely with Stephen Mills’ classic choreography. Shakespeare’s magnificent story comes to life in an elegant, dramatic, and simply gorgeous ballet.

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