
Not Afraid of the Dark – The Show That Glows®
OCTOBER 7-8 & 14-15
A magical show that is a visual treat for all ages. Ballet Austin TWO delights with a production that turns darkness into a place to laugh, sing, clap, dream, dance, and do everything imaginable, except be afraid! Not Afraid of the Dark—The Show That Glows® is the story of nighttime in the life of a young boy or girl. They chase fireflies in the park, get ready for bed, and find out about all the wonderful magic that happens in the dark. Through these children’s dreams and with the help of special lighting effects, Artistic Director Stephen Mills invites us to dance with the stars, catch shadows, and visit the land of stick people. We discover the dark is never scary, but fun and can be seen in a whole new light. Through this production, which is well-suited for families with young children, you’ll discover what wonderful things can happen when you “turn out the lights”!
FEATURING: Ballet Austin TWO
CHOREOGRAPHY | Stephen Mills
CONCEPT & MUSIC | Joe Scruggs
AGE RECOMMENDATION | Ages 2 & Up
RUN TIME | 1 hour
This performance is recommended for families with children ages 2 & up. All tickets are $20 and seating is reserved.
Run time: 1 hour
Location: Ballet Austin’s AustinVentures StudioTheater (285 seats), located inside Ballet Austin’s Butler Dance Education Center at 501 W. 3rd Street.
Performances:
- Saturday, October 7, 2022, at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, October 7, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday, October 8, 2022, at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, October 8, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday, October 14, 2022, at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, October 14, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday, October 15, 2022, at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, October 15, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photography by Tony Spielberg
MEET THE ARTISTS

STEPHEN MILLS
Choreography

JOE SCRUGGS
Concept & Music
Known for his innovative and collaborative choreographic projects, Stephen Mills has works in the repertoires of dance companies across the United States and around the world.
His international career began in 1998 after being chosen Prix d’Auteur at les Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis in Paris. In his inaugural season as Artistic Director of Ballet Austin in 2000, Mills attracted national attention with Hamlet, hailed by Dance Magazine as “…sleek and sophisticated.”
Mills’ works showcased at The Kennedy Center include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and performances at the Ballet Across America Festival in collaboration with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet.
In 2005 Mills developed a community-wide human rights collaborative dialogue culminating in his signature work Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project for which he received the Audrey and Raymond Maislin Humanitarian Award from The Anti-Defamation League. Mills contributed a podcast about Light to the Voices on Anti-Semitism series at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and was invited to speak about the work at The United Nations in 2014. Light has been performed in five U.S. cities, in three cities in Israel, and was recently featured in an Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, Sharing Light.
Joe Scruggs never dreamed he would become a children’s recording artist. His wife, who was a kindergarten teacher, needed more music for her class and suggested he use his musical talents toward that end. In 1984 he teamed up with arranger and producer Gary Powell and began a recording career that created over 100 songs. In 1985 Scruggs’ friend and business partner, Pete Markham, joined him in marketing Joe’s music and also toured with him as part of a three person show. During those twenty-five years of touring, Scruggs developed several blacklight numbers and was searching for a way to produce a glow-in-the-dark show that would not be frightening but rather fascinating for children. In 2000, Joe teamed up with Ballet Austin, and thanks to the collaborative efforts of Stephen Mills, Michelle Martin, and the entire Ballet Austin II ensemble, his vision of a captivating, glow-in-the-dark show for children became a reality.