Robert Mills
Choreographer, Director, and Educator
- Robert Mills is a distinguished dancer, choreographer, artistic director, and educator whose career spans decades of innovation, leadership, and artistic excellence in the ballet world. Mills was raised in Hobart, Indiana. He 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 (former soloists of London’s Sadler's Wells Ballet), and at the Ruth Page Foundation with Larry Long. His training continued at Milwaukee Ballet School with Basil Thompson, Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, where he worked with esteemed figures like Christopher D’Amboise, Gloria Govrin, Roy Kaiser, 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, Eugene Ballet and Ballet Idaho. 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, Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Antony Tudor, and Lila York, 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 direction brought national attention 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 and acclaim. 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. For the vast contributions over the course of his tenure, He was 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 across the U.S. and in 2017, he was invited to participate in the National Choreographers Initiative in Southern California.
- A dedicated educator, Mills has 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