Known for his innovative and collaborative choreographic projects, Stephen Mills has over 45 dance productions in the repertoire of companies across the United States and around the world, including Hong Kong Ballet, Ballet Augsburg, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Atlanta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Washington Ballet, Cuballet in Havana, Cuba, BalletMet Columbus, Dayton Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Louisville Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, The Sacramento Ballet, Dance Kaleidoscope and Ballet Austin.
In 1998, Mills was chosen to represent the United States through his work, ASHES, at Les Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis Paris. From his inaugural season as Artistic Director of Ballet Austin in 2000, Mills attracted attention from around the country with his world-premiere production of HAMLET, hailed by Dance Magazine as “…sleek and sophisticated.” In 2002, Mills’ leadership culminated in an invitation to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with Mills’ production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Two years later, The Kennedy Center commissioned Mills’ creation of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW for Ballet Austin’s second appearance on the Kennedy Center stage — to which The Washington Post proclaimed Ballet Austin as “one of the nation’s best-kept ballet secrets.” An invitation to perform an entire evening of Mills’ works at The Joyce Theater in New York City followed in 2005.
After two years of extensive research, Mills led a community-wide human rights collaboration that culminated in the world premiere work LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJECT, which was awarded the Audrey & Raymond Maislin Humanitarian Award by the Anti-Defamation League in 2006. In 2013, LIGHT made its international debut with a tour in three cities across Israel. In addition to Ballet Austin tours in Europe and throughout the United States, Mills guided his company of dancers through a 14-city tour of the People’s Republic of China, which included performances in China’s largest city, Shanghai, an international economic and cultural center.
Mills is a master teacher and has been guest faculty at Jacob’s Pillow, Goucher College, The Virginia School of the Arts, The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, Stephens College, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, and Point Park University, among others. Most recently, Mills was awarded the Steinberg Award, the top honor at Le Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur International Choreographic Competition for ONE / THE BODY’S GRACE.
