Articulations

The mix is interesting, given the varied backgrounds and characters of the candidates. For instance, there's the youth of Mr. McIntyre -- not yet 30 years old, but he's made an impressive name for himself, as is clear from the roster of projects he's lined up for 2000: a commission for Stuttgart Ballet in April; a premiere for Houston Ballet in May; a new version of Peter Pan, to music by Elgar, for OBT in October; a new production of Alice in Wonderland, for Nashville Ballet, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, and OBT; and works for Pennsylvania Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. (One wonders how he will fit BA into that schedule.) Then there's the contemporary edge of Mr. O'Day -- experience in contemporary and modern dance, and musical theatre, as well as ballet, which he likes to use to break down barriers between them. He'll push dancers to athletic extremes or score a dance with loud electric guitars. And there's the international cachet of Mr. Pink -- classical training at the Royal Ballet School, 10 years with the English National Ballet (when it was the London Festival Ballet), ties to Norwegian National Ballet, Balleto di Tosacanna Italy, Atlanta Ballet in the U.S., and Northern Ballet Theatre, where he worked alongside the late Christopher Gable and helped transform that company into one of England's most popular and admired ballets. Several directions there the Ballet Austin board could go, depending on what they want, which still isn't all that clear for some of us outside the Firehouse walls.

Whatever they might be seeking in their new AD -- youth, vitality, equal facility with the classical and the contemporary, international achievements -- the board might still be able to find it in Stephen Mills. With the naming of the new candidates, we can't assume that Mills' favorite son status assures him the inside track to succeed Lambrou. However, anyone watching the ballet this year has seen Mills prove himself again and again, as a choreographer of energy, invention, and wit. He proved it again with this year's production of The Nutcracker, putting his own stamp on the holiday chestnut with striking new choreography. These most familiar of numbers were vibrant with captivating turns, spins, and lifts that seemed to catch on the rhythms of the Tchaikovsky music and race forward. Something fresh was onstage, and it seemed that everyone in Bass Concert Hall was aware of it; the frequent applause and enthusiasm of the response made it clear the audience was watching. Mills has given Austin dance fans an extraordinary year, and whether or not he makes the cut for Ballet Austin artistic director, he deserves our applause.