Playful. Sensual. Electric. Immediate. These are just some of the qualities that Stephen Mills instills in his dances, and they explain why audiences here get jazzed about ballet. The Ballet Austin artistic director has a way with movement that makes the classical contemporary, that gives even the most familiar ballets – say, last season’s Giselle – or that holiday staple The Nutcracker – the pulse of life. His energetic, inventive, and frequently witty choreography has made instant classics of his original ballets, from the modern Touch to the hilarious A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the dynamic Hamlet, which returns next season.
