Dancers

Austin Powers

AUSTIN POWERS, born in Portland, Oregon, began his dance training at the age of five, studying at Houston Ballet Academy, San Francisco Ballet School, Alonzo King LINES Ballet School, the Center for Movement Arts, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance.

Austin began his professional career in 2014 as a trainee with Ballet San Jose, and joined BalletMet in 2015, where he continues to perform. He has been with the company since its 16/17 season, and has also performed with Chamber Dance Project, Battery Dance Festival, Amy Seiwert’s SKETCH, Columbus Symphony, Opera Columbus, Opera Project Columbus, and Commons Arts Festival.

He has danced original creations by Cooper Verona, Myles Thatcher, Edwaard Liang, Matthew Neenan, Leiland Charles, Diane Coburn Bruning, Christian Denice, Amy Seiwert, Dayung Jung, Remi Wortmeyer, Yue Ying, Dana Genshaft, Trey Macintyre, Alexandra Farber, and Grace-Anne Powers among others. Favorite roles include Tybalt in Liang’s Romeo and Juliet, 18+1 by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Dwellings by Christian Denice, Symphonic Dances by Liang, Fool’s Paradise and After the Rain by Christopher Wheeldon, Cacti by Alexander Ekman, Seven Sonatas by Alexi Ratmansky, and Herr Drosselmeyer in Gerard Charles’ The Nutcracker.

Introduced to dance in public school, Austin is grateful to the many teachers who shaped him as an artist — including Keith Goodman, Tim and Sherie Ryan, Margretta Hansen, Claudio Muñoz, Summer Lee Rhatigan, Andrew Murphy, Patrick Armand, and Parrish Maynard — as well as his family, for their steady support. He continues to learn from BalletMet’s artists and cherishes the chance to teach BalletMet Academy’s next generation of dancers.