Ballet East Dance Theatre
"Bringing art to the community and the community to the arts"
RODOLFO MENDEZ, Artistic Director
RODOLFO MENDEZ, is a native Austin resident who left to pursue his passion of the theater and dance. But it would be his tour in the Peace Corps that would profoundly impact Mendez’s focus and commitment. In Costa Rica and Chile, Mendez developed dance/theater programs for primary and secondary school levels working directly with the Minister of Education. These programs would later be used as the basis for the foundation of Ballet East Dance Company to develop community based programming. Mendez received a Fulbright Scholarship to study Flamenco dance and Spanish culture with Jose Molina in Spain. A rtistically, Mendez’s work was influenced by Martha Graham, Fred Benjamin, Leon Danielian, Alvin Ailey, Nat Horn, Yuriko, Milton Meyers and other choreographers. In 1977, the Company was founded, i ncorporated in 1982 and contains over 30 original works by Mendez as well as those of local, national and internationally recognized choreographers. Mendez has been a National Endowment on the Arts Site Evaluation Panelist, on the Texas Commission on the Arts Dance Peer Panel and served on the San Antonio Dance Peer Panel. Mendez has developed programs and activities that have broaden the Company and impacted the community infrastructure. T he Company’s philosophy, Mendez’s founding focus, has reached the level where the Company has married the artistic with the social that truly reflects a commitment to under served communities, opportunities for dancers to flourish and expanding platforms for local choreographers.Works for Ballet East
2000
Purple Dawn