Ballet East

Ballet East Dance Company was founded in 1978 by Rodolfo Mendez as a company dedicated to excellence in modern dance and choreography. Ballet East has long maintained an active outreach program, following Mendez’s belief that the arts can transform the lives of individuals and communities. The company acts as a force for change with lively after-school programs, scholarships for dancers and other performers, internships in stagecraft, and special projects in community building and development. Ballet East has been recognized at the local, state and national level, including, the Dare to Dance program which was selected as a semifinalist for the Coming Up Taller Awards of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities two years in a row. 

Ballet East created a Ballet Folklorico program to allow students whose families are recent immigrants and those from long-settled families to come together under a common cultural banner. Ballet East Dance Company developed the program in cooperation with the schools to provide high-quality dance instructors to students who would not otherwise have access to it in the neighborhoods of East Austin. This after-school program is offered at no-cost to young dancers thanks to generous donations.