Ballet Austin

I came here with a friend because she was taking a hip hop class on Sunday and it was the only time we could get together. She told me that they offer dance classes and that the first one was free. It was great because since I was in town visiting, I didn’t have to pay to take an amazing class.
The sign up process was kind of tedious. After waiting in line to check in, I had to go on a computer to sign up and then I could be checked in. That made me miss the first 5 minutes of class. All in all, everyone was really nice. The class was great. It was challenging but not overwhelming for every level. The next time I’m in Austin I plan on attending.

I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Ballet Austin, their classes & workshops, their instructors and their staff. But I must put a little plug in for the instructor I’ve had for a while now: Sara Paul. She is so knowledgeable and patient! I’m very grateful to have a place like Ballet Austin in my life!
Also have been to several Ballet Austin performances and they were quite lovely!

Took a chance, wanted to see Swan Lake. I love the Nureyev/​Fonteyn performance and hoped that the Austin Ballet would be half as good. Seeing a live performance has a wonderful feeling I wanted to experience at the Long Center.
There are so many shortcomings.
I wonder if the cost of performing at the Long Center as well as they cost of the Ballet Austin home in downtown is causing a shortage of dancers on stage, dancers must be paid, also costumes are expensive. Do they have to cut corners like this to put on their performances? These days, everyone is cutting back on personnel.
Besides cutting personnel, there were shortcomings in the directors vision of how the story is told, and the way the characters expressed who they were.
Alas, as another reviewer stated, there were scenes (a whole act?) missing. There weren’t that many dancers on the stage.
The story is one of a beautiful princess (White Swan) who is shy, damaged, hurt by, captured and under the spell of an evil sorcerer. To escape, she must have someone truly love her.
The female lead Saturday night did not look frail, damaged, hurt when dancing as the White Swan.
The Black Swan is an imitator and agent of the evil sorcerer. The Black Swan is aggressive, a show off, and does everything she can to get the Prince to ask her to marry her.
The Black Swan character is played by the same dancer as the White Swan, but should be acting according to the costume worn at the time. White = shy, hurt, wanting to be loved. Black = aggressive, lots of ego, showy displays to impress.
In the Austin Ballet performance, both Swans danced the same. So where is the defining part of the story if there is no difference?
In the castle/​party scene, usually there are many others in costumes of different countries come to pay respects and dancing. Not in this performance, Not many on stage at all.
I told a friend from New York about this Austin version of Swan Lake, and their comment was that you can’t expect a small town ballet to compare to a real ballet. I want to disagree, it is possible. I saw some awesome shows at Bass Hall when the Ballet Austin performed there. It wouldn’t take that much to have the dancers be better actors, and for ALL of the scenes/​acts to be played. But it can’t happen unless someone has vision, and wants to do things right.

Awesome studio. The facilities are awesome. They have great teachers and offer fun and challenging classes for all ages.

Years in the waiting. I have been waiting years for Ballet Austin to perform Swan Lake. I have watched countless other companies perform it. Finally, last year, my patience was rewarded as it was announced that they would be staging a production this May. I ordered my tickets almost as soon as they became available and finally, this past Sunday, the moment had arrived. Mothers’ Day was here and my daughter and I were so excited to see what is our favorite ballet.
There is something so special about live performance. I get a giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I hear the orchestra tuning up and an instrument or two playing a familiar piece of what they will be performing in its entirety, soon. The lights dim, there is electricity in the air as the conductor quiets the pit with his appearance on the podium and then with a lift of the baton, the music starts. The familiar strains begin and I am transfixed. The curtain rises and I see an enchanted lake. Wait, what! Okay, calm down, perhaps they are choosing to start with Odette’s enchantment into the swan a la American Ballet Theatre’s version. Okay… nope. There are the hunters and Siegfried holding his crossbow. Where is the celebration from Act I? Where’s Siegfried’s mother chastising him about growing up and getting married? They completely skipped that part! Not just a part, but the whole first act! Why? Is it just because this is a matinée performance? Why not call it excerpts from Swan Lake? My daughter and I were totally disappointed.
After our shock and dismay abated, we focused on the performance and the spectacular set. The forest set was magical and with the fog lifting off the lake, lit by a luminous full harvest moon, the swans appeared and enchanted us with their graceful movements. The ballerinas moving in unison, lithe arms extending out to forever, pointe shoes fluttering across the stage (which, unfortunately amplifies every touch of the foot to the stage). I got tingles during the infamous pas de quatre of dancing cygnets. The music was divine, the performances spectacular and in Act II, the series of fouettes by Odile was amazing! I even became teary eyed every time Von Rothbart enchants Odette and she «flies» to him.
My daughter and I had conflicting opinions on the ending. I prefer the tragic ending of Siegfried losing Odette after pledging his love to her and then getting tricked into falling for Odile. My daughter prefers the more romantic, traditional ending of them both committing suicide and living eternally together.
Overall, I absolutely loved the performance, I just wished it had been performed in its entirety.

My son has taken class with Ms. Wolfe for two years and we are very happy. A great place to express him but learn about the decorum of ballet class.

I don’t know why I even went back in 2014. The instructors — all of them — must be starving or something. Starving for attention (they love it when a regular fauns on them, gives them gifts), they talk too much (waste about ¹⁄₃ of the class time to «teach» and focus on «correcting» one student), and have no idea whatsoever on kinesiology, anatomy, flexibility training, in other words… these instructors have no idea how to teach. So they shouldn’t.
They should just give a combo, make it nice and long so people can practice, and move on. This is supposed to be a fun, community class, but never is.
I also have tried partnerless latin dancing — fun. African dancing — holy cow that instructor dropped Fbombs like it was WW2. All levels of contemporary and ballet classes — horrrrrrriiiidddd instructors who can’t lead and are uneducated in social skills!
And the regulars will be the most passive aggressive people you ever come across. So sorry my size 2 booty and my DDD cup breasts are so threatening to the anorexic ballerinas. Anyone with curves will get the stare down. Especially if you are able to perform well in your class.
Go try other dance classes elsewhere. Somewhere where you will be allowed to smile.

Miss Wolf is a spectacular Ballet teacher!
My 4 year daughter Brooke enjoys her class so much! Miss Wolf is so creative with her use of scarves and glitter flash lights! She has a true gift with children. She is professional and extremely poised. I highly recommend this class. Miss Wolf honors each of the tiny dancers individual spirit.
Miss wolf is an excellent teacher!

Two things: their classes are a super fun way to sweat and get fit!
Second, I finally got to see my first Nutcracker Ballet his year. Breathtaking! Spring for the good seats, you only live once!

This review is for the company and the Long Center specifically, NOT the academy/​drop in classes.
My boyfriend and I went to the Saturday night performance of Agon and The Firebird. I’ve been to ballets in San Francisco and Philadelphia and was looking forward to seeing what Austin had to offer.
Our disappointment began at the ticket center. I ordered online and decided to pick my tickets up at will call instead of paying to have them mailed. When I arrived at will call there was a huge line… okay, no problem, I’ll wait. When I finally got to the front of the line I was told that my tickets never got printed and I would need to wait in the box office line, which was about the same length as the line I’d just stood in. Allll the way to the back I went.
Wait. Wait. Angry people in front of me who were also missing tickets. Wait. Wait.
FINALLY– TICKETS! We dashed up to our seats with just enough time to sit down. We encountered a surprising number of people wearing jeans– who wears jeans to the ballet?!
Okay, on to the dancing!
I wasn’t at all impressed with Agon. The dancers seemed uninspired; perhaps they too were bored with the annoyingly repetitive choreography. Could be that I’m just not a Balanchine person, but I don’t think they pulled it off.
The Firebird was better and significantly more passionate. My only criticism is that some elements of the set were unclear, making the story difficult to follow. I’m lookin’ at you, glowing green gates stage left that looked more like garden gates than castle gates.
Another note– I don’t know what kind of floor the Long Center has or what kind of pointe shoes the dancers were wearing but gosh, every time they landed after a jump I could hear it all the way up in the balcony.
I don’t think I’ll be returning. We had a nice night once the ticket snafus got cleared up, but I didn’t leave feeling my usual sense of post-​ballet euphoria.

Facility: beautiful and huge
Staff: courteous and helpful
Adult drop-​in classes: impressive
First fee drop-​in class: nice
Pricing: reasonable
I love taking dance classes at Ballet Austin: anything from hip/​hop & salsa to ballet & broadway. No matter what your motivation for taking a class is: better athleticism, losing weight, love for dance or other. Ballet Austin has it !
I personally really like Tara Alperin Barre Fit classes and Jenny Alperin Pop Jazz.
The best thing is that if I get out of work early, I have options of a dance class to take. Or if I have to stay in the office late, I can always take an 8:30 pm class. I also truly appreciate the fact that Ballet Austin offers Saturday AND Sunday classes.
Way to go!

Poor customer experience. Too strict of policy, would never choose to purchase classes with Ballet Austin again.

Great bollywood class. Have taken previous classes and not been impressed. All i can say is wow they are so energetic it makes you feel energetic. Then you get a good worl out with lots of other people. I watched about a third of the time because i did not have their energy. This was mostly during the freedance. Man the instructors are fit and young. You can tell they love whAt they are doing.

I.cant.wait.for.this weekend.
Having only ever seen the nutcracker, I didn’t know what any other ballet was like. When I saw midsummer night’s dream, I became a huge fan.
How they showed the comedy of the play, into their dance was extraordinary. I caught myself, sharing laughter with the audience and enjoying every second of it. I’m attending the choreography competition this weekend and I’m so stoked, my finance as well.
The sets, costumes, execution, superb.

We got tickets I watch Hanzel and Gretel and it was quite exciting to sit and watch a ballet, I just didn’t care for this particular story. I like Hanzel and Gretel I just think it was presented more for younger children. My six year old niece thought it was a bit silly. We are going to catch another ballet just one with more mature content. The Austin Ballet was a great place to experience and I would definitely go back.

Purely rating this from a drop-​in ballet class standpoint. Great experience and absolutely fantastic facility. I am so impressed and proud that Austin has the Butler Community School.
The incredible variety of drop-​in classes offered here are absolutely stellar. The pricing (the larger the package, the cheaper the class) can’t be beat and the quality of instruction available to the public is phenomenal. Of the many cities that I’ve lived in and lived around, Ballet Austin’s community school is treasure.
The adorable young lady manning the check-​in desk was warm and welcoming. For my first time at the facility, she was more than happy to provide me with a schedule and to talk me through a map of the building.
I took an Intermediate/​Advanced Teen/​Adult Ballet Class taught by Arletta. I was terrified considering how it’s been 15 years since I’ve left professional ballet schooling as a teen. In all the locations I’ve subsequently lived in, I’ve always pursued adult ballet classes as recreational fitness and of course for love of the art.
The class absolutely broke me off and I couldn’t walk for a week, but I was thrilled to be dancing again and I was floating on the endorphins for the rest of the week. Fast-​paced but absolutely non-​judgemental of my Disney-​Fantasia-​Hippo-​Ballerina rendition, I was greatly appreciative of Arletta’s non-​biased instruction of every individual in the classroom regardless of skill or quality of technique. You could tell that there were dancers of varying skill level from current to previous experience. I fell in the «previous experience» category and lacked the flexibility and skill of the younger dancers, but Arletta was still gracious and impartial — paying attention to every individual and giving articulate corrections and advice. Even though I knew I was the worst one in the class, it was really refreshing to know I was still welcome in the class.
I loved walking through the bright open facility and enjoyed watching the other ongoing classes through the windows. My muscles would twitch with muscle memory as I watched the other classes. I was thrilled.
Check out the variety of drop-​in classes that are available — this place is a gem!

The Nutcracker One of the all around classical seasonal shows. The Austin company did well, specially with the Austin personalities.

I absolutely love everything about Ballet Austin. As a former/​current/​lifelong student of dance, I jumped at the chance to start taking classes here again a few months ago. The Butler Community School offers great drop-​in classes (hip-​hop, african dance and even Broadway tap!) So, there is something for everyone!
After a few trial classes (which were a great deal through the promotional section of their website!) I was able to get a nice discount on signing up for a multiple class card; which means classes that are good for an entire year! This also means I can go to any class, anytime I want to at the School; SCORE!
I would say if there are any negatives, it would be the lack of parking (well, we are downtown), and the small dressing room/​shower. Honestly though, even in peak usage time, there is still plenty of room for me to shower and change.
Wish every city had as cool of a drop-​in program as Ballet Austin!

Broadway Fit class at Ballet Austin was definitely humbling but I had fun with my friends and the music was really good. The best part was the two teachers, two men, sorry that I can’t remember their names but I’m pretty sure they are the only ones that teach together. Even the man at the front when we checked in was warm and welcoming, and I wasn’t expecting it, as I was completely intimidated at first.
They made me feel welcome and even though most of the class knew the routine and I felt like a horse, they were the reason it was fun. I bought a pass for four classes for $ 60, which might seem like a lot but since I never use my gym membership it’s more interesting–

At some point between striking a ‘sexy pose’ for the start of a musical routine and fanning my fingers for basic Flamenco, I realized: I should have majored Dance & Performing Arts. What good will Human Development do me when I need to plié for a Pointe Pirouette?
The Austin Ballet’s Butler Academy is a facility where anyone who has interest in dance, regardless of their experience (or lack thereof), is encouraged to enroll in classes ranging from Adult Ballet to Theatre Dance to Hula & Hatha Yoga to Hip Hop & Flamenco. I attended the school’s ‘Come Dance’ Bi-​Annual Open House last Sunday, where a myriad of classes were held in eight different studios in the course of four hours. The instructors were enthusiastic yet focused, and encouraged new students to defy their inhibitions and establish themselves as someone worthy of the dancefloor. A great mantra for those who are shy, and an empowering one for those who are already comfortable moving. Instructors also briefed us on their respective terminology & approaches to their form of dance, ending each section with an applaud resonating through the studio. This is probably what recovering addicts feel when passing a milestone in support groups. Yeh-​es! Taking everything into account (complimentary smoothies from Froots, too) I HIGHLY recommend attending their next Open House. It’s bound to get you out of a funk if you’re in one, and make you feel you’re on Cloud 9 if you’re not.
Hell, I’m streaming Andalusian Flamenco and doing Floreos right now. ¡Olé!