So you think you can dance?

Ballet Austin's Come Dance! 2012 celebrates the power of dance with a free dayof classes

Join Ballet Austin's Come Dance! 2012 on Sunday, August 26.

Can you tear up the dance floor like Fred Astaire, or are you cursed with two left feet? Whatever your level of dance ability, Ballet Austin's Come Dance! 2012 is a day of free classes to get everyone moving.

On Sunday, August 26, Ballet Austin invites Central Texans to celebrate a day of free dance classes with the Butler Community School (BCS). From jazz to Turbo Kick to ballet, dance classes in a variety of styles are offered to everyone wanting to come out and dance. This year’s Come Dance! also celebrates the 5th anniversary of the opening of the Butler Dance Education Center.

Come Dance! 2012 classes will represent the broad range of dance styles and levels available through Ballet Austin’s BCS, which includes ballet, Ballet Fit, theatre dance, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, hula, jazz funk, tap, Turbo Kick, Videodance, modern and West African. Ballet Austin’s Come Dance! celebration has become one of Austin’s favorite free dance events, with up to 1,000 participants. An up-to-date schedule of classes is available at the Ballet Austin website.

From their home at the Butler Dance Education Center & Community School in downtown Austin, Ballet Austin and Artistic Director Stephen Mills actively engage the community, dancers and audiences alike. The New York Times proclaims Ballet Austin "a company with big ambitions" originating work that is "absorbing."

The Butler Community School engages, educates and empowers people of all skill levels, economic and cultural backgrounds to adopt healthy lifestyles through dance and regular physical activity. With more than 5,000 students of all ages taking classes at Ballet Austin each year, Ballet Austin’s BCS and Academy comprise one of the largest dance training centers associated with a professional dance company in the U.S.

“One of Ballet Austin’s core values is to teach the next generation of artists and at Ballet Austin Academy that’s exactly what we do,” explains Ballet Austin Director of Schools William Piner. “The Academy is an amazing place for aspiring dancers to grow and excel. Our Academy students are given the opportunity to develop their skills in a nurturing, diverse, and professional environment rivaling any in the nation.”

You can join in on Come Dance! 2012 on Sunday, August 26, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Butler Dance Education Center, located at 501 W. 3rd St. There's no need to sign up ahead of time. In addition to trying out new dance classes, the celebration will include refreshments and discounts on BCS classes and workshops.

There will also be prize drawings that include the chance to win a month of unlimited dance and fitness classes, a Pilates new client package, Ballet Austin season tickets, Ballet Austin fête*ish tickets and more.

For more information call 512.476.9051 or visit the Ballet Austin website.

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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