About Robert Mills
Visionary Choreographer, Director, and Educator
- Robert Mills is a distinguished dancer, choreographer, artistic director, and educator whose career has spanned decades of innovation, leadership, and artistic excellence in the ballet world. A native of Northwest Indiana, he was raised in Hobart, Indiana, and began his ballet training with Natalie Mayoch-Kolosci before advancing his studies in Chicago under renown pedagogue and author Anna Paskevska, Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay of London’s Sadler's Wells Ballet, as well as Larry Long at the Ruth Page Foundation. His training continued at prestigious institutions, including the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, Milwaukee Ballet School, and The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, where he worked with esteemed figures like Christopher D’Amboise, Roy Kaiser, Gloria Govrin and Bojan Spassoff.
- Mills enjoyed a remarkable fifteen-year performing career, dancing with some of the finest ballet companies in the United States, including Philadelphia Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Eugene Ballet. He worked closely with industry legends such as Todd Bolender, Moscelyne Larkin, Toni Pimble, Bryan Pitts and William Whitener performing in works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Lisa de Ribere, Antony Tudor, Lila York, Ann Reinking and Margo Sappington, in addition to multiple works from the classical canon.
- Transitioning from the stage to leadership, Mills became the artistic director of Ballet Nouveau Colorado, where his visionary leadership brought national acclaim and established a foundation for what would later become Wonderbound and the Colorado Conservatory of Dance. In 2008, he took the helm of Oklahoma City Ballet, guiding the company through an era of unprecedented growth. Under his leadership, the organization’s budget quadrupled, the ensemble expanded from 14 to 29 professional dancers, and the repertoire flourished with works by Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylián and Twyla Tharp. He also launched initiatives such as a choreographic workshop, a summer training intensive, a studio company, and numerous community engagement programs, transforming OKC Ballet into a dynamic force in the dance world. His contributions were recognized with the Governor’s Arts Award from the state of Oklahoma.
- As a choreographer, Mills has created over 25 original works, ranging from short repertory pieces to full-length productions such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Romeo and Juliet. His choreography has been staged nationwide, and in 2017, he was invited to participate in the prestigious National Choreographers Initiative in Southern California.
- A dedicated educator, Mills has mentored and trained dancers who have gone on to perform with leading companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Parsons Dance, among others.
Movement and music mingle sublimely in Mills' production to convey the full range of emotions inherent in William Shakespeare's famed tale of young love and old hate. - Brandy McDonnell - The Oklahoman
It is a challenge for any ballet company to find a balance between maintaining a beloved tradition and keeping a production fresh, but Robert Mills has found great success with his delightful version of "The Nutcracker." - Kathleen Redwine - The Oklahoman
"The Little Mermaid" swept the opening night audience away from the everyday and into a magical world of beauty and enchantment. Choreographer Robert Mills has created a fresh and brilliant blend of innovation and tradition. - Kathleen Redwine - The Oklahoman