Recent Updates
[10/15/2009] The new season dates are here! More…
Who are we and what do we do?
Austin Dance Ensemble began in January of 1992 with dancers who had several years of ballet training. The mission of the ADE was to serve as a training ground for young and aspiring professional dancers to get stage experience in a quality environment. The company serves as a middle ground for older teens and college age dancers that have outgrown a children's dance company, but are not ready to make the step to a professional dance company. The company provides the opportunity for these dancers to dance with ex-professional dancers and other older dancers, and gain valuable experience through professional quality productions.
Together with its youth group, Youth Ballet Theatre of Austin, Austin Dance Ensemble has provided performing opportunities and training in the art of dance performance of ballet and modern for dancers beginning at age 8 through adults continuously since 1992. In the 2005/2006 season the Youth Ballet Theatre was absorbed into the Austin Dance Ensemble. Former dancers with the Austin Dance Ensemble have gone on to perform with many professional companies such as Ballet Austin, San Diego Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and others.
Recognizing a need to establish itself at a dance school that could serve as a source of new dancers and provide for more convenient rehearsal scheduling, the directors of the Austin Dance Ensemble decided to merge with Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble. The combined programs of the Austin Dance Ensemble and Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble now perform under the banner of the Austin Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble (AMDE) which was co-founded by Arletta Howard Logan and Melanie Kregel.
Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble was formed in March of 2003 and was based at Metamorphosis Dance Academy beginning February 2004. They presented their first performance, 'Memoirs' in March 2003 at the Umlaluf Sculpture Gardens. Under directors Erin Mayo, Melanie Kregel and Emily Torgerson the Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble presented several performances in Austin and surrounding areas in the last 3 years. Upon opening the academy in January 2005, MDE expanded its endeavors by creating a youth company, Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble II. During its first season the students performed at the Rockin' Family Fitness Festival sponsored by YouthInteractive, Leander ISD's Family Fitness Festival, and the Texas Youth Dance Festival held at Zilker Park. MDE II has graduated dancers that have gone on to pursue dance in higher education at Texas Christian University and Bellevue College. Dancers in the program have also been accepted into the highly competitive summer programs provided by the American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, and Pittsburg Ballet.
Austin Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble provides real life experience and training in how to become a professional dancer by mixing young dancers who may be aspiring professionals with older dancers who have performed at the professional level. In addition, Austin Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble provides opportunities to aspiring choreographers from the Austin area to set their ballets on a variety of dancers. This gives experience not only to the choreographers, but also teaches the young dancers how to adapt to various styles of dance.
Executive Director: Melanie Kregel
Co-Artistic Directors: Latisha Coffey and Melanie Kregel.
AMDE is a non-profit organization.
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