STEPHEN MILLS
a tribute
Celebrating 25 Years of Classically Innovative Leadership
Presented by: Linda Ball and Forrest Preece & The Meredith Family, MFI Foundation
Ballet Austin invites you to join us for one unforgettable night, Thursday, April 23rd from 7:30-9:00PM at Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre, as we honor Artistic Director Stephen Mills — for his vision and artistic contributions to Austin’s creative identity over the past 25 years. As a member of our audience, you have been an important part of his journey, and we hope you will join us for this night of warm reflection and celebration!
STEPHEN MILLS…A TRIBUTE will feature special appearances/live performances by longtime collaborators, including award-winning composer Graham Reynolds and Grammy Award winner Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel), select performances by members of Ballet Austin’s Company dancers, and a performance by BA TWO. With surprises woven throughout, this heartfelt celebration promises to be joy-filled, and truly unforgettable!
This intimate evening is also designed to turn the spotlight on YOU, as a member of our audience. Whether you’ve been on this journey with Stephen from the beginning or joined along the way, STEPHEN MILLS…A TRIBUTE will offer the opportunity to reflect together on past successes and important milestones, while celebrating the future!
Featuring:
Graham Reynolds
Award-winning composer
Ray Benson
9-time Grammy Award winner
Company & Ballet Austin TWO Dancers
Twenty-five years. Five defining eras. One extraordinary artistic legacy.
Explore Stephen’s Legacy
Use the timeline below to jump through key eras of Stephen Mills’ tenure as Artistic Director. Each chapter highlights defining milestones—from landmark story ballets and world premieres to tours, awards, and bold creative leaps that shaped Ballet Austin and expanded its impact far beyond Austin.
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Stephen Mills launches inaugural season as Artistic Director with the creation of HAMLET.
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Four Mill’s world premieres culminating in a sold-out run at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.
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Atlanta Ballet licenses HAMLET.
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The Kennedy Center commissions Mills to create THE TAMING OF THE SHREW… seven sold-out houses.
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The Kennedy Center commissions Mills to create THE TAMING OF THE SHREW… seven sold-out houses.
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American Ballet Theatre commissions Mills to create a new work, HUSH, for ABT’s Studio Company.
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Mills takes an artistic leap with LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJECT (LIGHT), a groundbreaking world premiere work using art, education, and community dialogue focused on “the protection of human rights against bigotry and hate.”
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Ballet Austin receives invitation to perform Mills’ works at the Joyce Theatre, in New York City.
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Mills receives Anti-Defamation League’s Audrey & Raymond Maislin Humanitarian Award for artistic excellence and social relevance.
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The Hong Kong Ballet licenses HUSH.
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Mills inaugurates “New American Talent / Dance”, a 10-year financial and professional investment fostering the careers of 15 choreographers.
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Mills leads Ballet Austin’s opening of the 40,000 sq. ft. Butler Dance Education Center in Austin’s central business district.
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Ballet Austin enters its new permanent performance home with grand opening of the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts.
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Mills accepts Ballet Austin’s third opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center at the invitation of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.
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Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre licenses Mills’ LIGHT, marking the first time this social justice project is staged beyond Austin.
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Mills is invited to present a conversation about LIGHT at TEDx Talk/SMU.
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Mills premieres THE MAGIC FLUTE.
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Mills accepts invitation to add his voice to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Voices on Anti- Semitism podcast, joining other notables such at the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel.
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Mills leads the company on its first tour to Puerto Rico.
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Mills receives fourth invitation for Ballet Austin to perform at the Kennedy Center, this time as part of the prestigious “Ballet Across America” program.
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Ballet Austin is invited to Israel to take LIGHT on a three-week tour including Western Galilee, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.
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Artistic Directors elect Mills as their representative to The National Board of Directors of Dance/USA (the national service organization of professional dance).
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Mills is invited to speak about LIGHT before the United Nations.
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Mills’ LIGHT is licensed by the Colorado Ballet (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), and Ballet Austin’s Company tours LIGHT to Miami (The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts), and West Palm Beach (The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts).
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Mills continues his leadership under a “Choreographic Mentorship Co-Commission” grant from the Princess Grace Foundation.
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The Austin Critics Table inducts Mills into the Arts Hall of Fame.
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Mills leads Ballet Austin on a 15-city tour of China.
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HAMLET is licensed by four professional companies: The Washington Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Eugene Ballet, and Ballet Augsburg, Germany.
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LIGHT is licensed by Nashville Ballet.
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Mills premieres EXIT WOUNDS, a full-length work that remains his most personal to date.
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Mills premieres GRIMM TALES, the first work to be commissioned by The Butler New Choreography Endowment.
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Mills accepts invitation to perform with The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago at the Lar Lubovitch Celebration.
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The COVID-19 pandemic darkens theaters worldwide.
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Mills continues to innovate with Ballet Austin’s haunted dance film, PRELUDES/BEGINNINGS. The film premieres on Austin PBS and receives a Lone Star EMMY®.
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Ballet Austin triumphantly returns to the stage with JOY / 3 HAPPY DANCES BY STEPHEN MILLS — a celebration of resilience.
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Award-winning feature documentary FINDING LIGHT premieres at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.
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LIGHT returns to the stage in Austin.
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Mills continues to push boundaries with POE / A TALE OF MADNESS (POE), the second work commissioned by The Butler New Choreography Endowment.
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The cinematic commercial for POE receives Mills’ fourth Lone Star EMMY® award and a CLIO Entertainment Award.
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Louisville Ballet licenses LIGHT.
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In the 25 years as Artistic Director, Stephen Mills’ ballets continue to move audiences across the United States and around the world, and have been licensed by 16+ companies to date.