diff --git a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
index 180bc2f8da..89fcfbd804 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "RageTextureManager.h"
 #include "SongManager.h"
 #include "Course.h"
+#include "XmlFile.h"
 #include "FontCharAliases.h"
 
 #include "arch/Dialog/Dialog.h"
@@ -39,10 +40,12 @@ Actor* LoadFromActorFile( const CString &sIniPath, const CString &sLayer )
 
 Actor* LoadFromActorFile( const CString& sAniDir, const XNode& layer )
 {
-	Actor* pActor = NULL;	// fill this in before we return;
+	Actor* pActor = NULL;	// fill this in before we return
+
+	CString sType = layer.m_sName;
+	if( sType.empty() )
+		layer.GetAttrValue( "Type", sType );
 
-	CString sType;
-	layer.GetAttrValue( "Type", sType );
 	CString sFile;
 	layer.GetAttrValue( "File", sFile );
 	FixSlashesInPlace( sFile );
@@ -51,6 +54,12 @@ Actor* LoadFromActorFile( const CString& sAniDir, const XNode& layer )
 	{
 		pActor = new SongCreditDisplay;
 	}
+	else if( sType == "BGAnimation" )
+	{
+		BGAnimation *pBGA = new BGAnimation;
+		pBGA->LoadFromNode( sAniDir, layer );
+		pActor = pBGA;
+	}
 	else
 	{
 
@@ -274,7 +283,14 @@ Actor* MakeActor( const RageTextureID &ID )
 	CString sExt = GetExtension( ID.filename );
 	sExt.MakeLower();
 	
-	if( sExt=="actor" )
+	if( sExt=="xml" )
+	{
+		XNode xml;
+		xml.LoadFromFile( ID.filename );
+		CString sDir = Dirname( ID.filename );
+		return LoadFromActorFile( sDir, xml );
+	}
+	else if( sExt=="actor" )
 	{
 		return LoadFromActorFile( ID.filename );
 	}
diff --git a/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.cpp b/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.cpp
index 3af4e89b90..7faece7076 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.cpp
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ void BGAnimation::Unload()
     DeleteAllChildren();
 }
 
-void BGAnimation::LoadFromStaticGraphic( CString sPath )
+void BGAnimation::LoadFromStaticGraphic( const CString &sPath )
 {
 	Unload();
 
@@ -51,11 +51,12 @@ static bool CompareLayerNames( const CString& s1, const CString& s2 )
 	return i1 < i2;
 }
 
-void AddLayersFromAniDir( CString sAniDir, vector<Actor*> &layersAddTo, bool Generic )
+void AddLayersFromAniDir( const CString &_sAniDir, vector<Actor*> &layersAddTo, bool Generic )
 {
-	if( sAniDir.empty() )
+	if( _sAniDir.empty() )
 		 return;
 
+	CString sAniDir = _sAniDir;
 	if( sAniDir.Right(1) != "/" )
 		sAniDir += "/";
 
@@ -118,13 +119,14 @@ void AddLayersFromAniDir( CString sAniDir, vector<Actor*> &layersAddTo, bool Gen
 	}
 }
 
-void BGAnimation::LoadFromAniDir( CString sAniDir )
+void BGAnimation::LoadFromAniDir( const CString &_sAniDir )
 {
 	Unload();
 
-	if( sAniDir.empty() )
+	if( _sAniDir.empty() )
 		 return;
 
+	CString sAniDir = _sAniDir;
 	if( sAniDir.Right(1) != "/" )
 		sAniDir += "/";
 
@@ -139,34 +141,19 @@ void BGAnimation::LoadFromAniDir( CString sAniDir )
 
 		IniFile ini;
 		ini.ReadFile( sPathToIni );
-		if( !ini.GetValue( "BGAnimation", "LengthSeconds", m_fLengthSeconds ) )
-		{
-			/* XXX: if m_bGeneric, simply constructing the BG layer won't run "On",
-			 * so at this point GetMaxTweenTimeLeft is probably 0 */
-			m_fLengthSeconds = this->GetTweenTimeLeft();
-		}
+
+		const XNode* pBGAnimation = ini.GetChild( "BGAnimation" );
+		XNode dummy;
+		dummy.m_sName = "BGAnimation";
+		if( pBGAnimation == NULL )
+			pBGAnimation = &dummy;
+		LoadFromNode( sAniDir, *pBGAnimation );
 
 		bool bUseScroller;
 		if( ini.GetValue( "BGAnimation", "UseScroller", bUseScroller ) && bUseScroller )
 		{
 			ActorScroller::LoadFromIni( ini, "Scroller" );
 		}
-
-		CString sInitCommand;
-		if( ini.GetValue( "BGAnimation", "InitCommand", sInitCommand ) )
-		{
-			/* There's an InitCommand.  Run it now.  This can be used to eg. change Z to
-			 * modify draw order between BGAs in a Foreground.  Most things should be done
-			 * in metrics.ini commands, not here. */
-			this->RunCommands( ParseCommands(sInitCommand) );
-		}
-	
-		Command cmd;
-		cmd.Load( "PlayCommand,Init" );
-		this->RunCommandOnChildren( cmd );
-
-		if( !m_bGeneric )
-			PlayCommand( "On" );
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -198,7 +185,7 @@ void BGAnimation::LoadFromAniDir( CString sAniDir )
 	}
 }
 
-void BGAnimation::LoadFromMovie( CString sMoviePath )
+void BGAnimation::LoadFromMovie( const CString &sMoviePath )
 {
 	Unload();
 
@@ -207,7 +194,7 @@ void BGAnimation::LoadFromMovie( CString sMoviePath )
 	AddChild( pLayer );
 }
 
-void BGAnimation::LoadFromVisualization( CString sVisPath )
+void BGAnimation::LoadFromVisualization( const CString &sVisPath )
 {
 	Unload();
 	BGAnimationLayer* pLayer;
@@ -224,6 +211,46 @@ void BGAnimation::LoadFromVisualization( CString sVisPath )
 	AddChild( pLayer );
 }
 
+void BGAnimation::LoadFromNode( const CString &sDir, const XNode& node )
+{
+	DEBUG_ASSERT( node.m_sName == "BGAnimation" );
+
+
+	if( !node.GetAttrValue( "LengthSeconds", m_fLengthSeconds ) )
+	{
+		/* XXX: if m_bGeneric, simply constructing the BG layer won't run "On",
+		 * so at this point GetMaxTweenTimeLeft is probably 0 */
+		m_fLengthSeconds = this->GetTweenTimeLeft();
+	}
+
+	CString sInitCommand;
+	if( node.GetAttrValue( "InitCommand", sInitCommand ) )
+	{
+		/* There's an InitCommand.  Run it now.  This can be used to eg. change Z to
+		 * modify draw order between BGAs in a Foreground.  Most things should be done
+		 * in metrics.ini commands, not here. */
+		this->RunCommands( ParseCommands(sInitCommand) );
+	}
+
+	const XNode* pChildren = node.GetChild("children");
+	if( pChildren )
+	{
+		FOREACH_CONST_Child( pChildren, pChild )
+		{
+			Actor* pChildActor = LoadFromActorFile( sDir, *pChild );
+			AddChild( pChildActor );
+		}
+	}
+
+	
+	Command cmd;
+	cmd.Load( "PlayCommand,Init" );
+	this->RunCommandOnChildren( cmd );
+
+	if( !m_bGeneric )
+		PlayCommand( "On" );
+}
+
 /*
  * (c) 2001-2004 Ben Nordstrom, Chris Danford
  * All rights reserved.
diff --git a/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.h b/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.h
index 724d440c95..6f8c6edde7 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/BGAnimation.h
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
  * is used for many things other than backgrounds. */
 #include "ActorScroller.h"
 
+struct XNode;
+
 class BGAnimation : public ActorScroller
 {
 public:
@@ -15,10 +17,11 @@ public:
 
 	void Unload();
 
-	void LoadFromStaticGraphic( CString sPath );
-	void LoadFromAniDir( CString sAniDir );
-	void LoadFromMovie( CString sMoviePath );
-	void LoadFromVisualization( CString sMoviePath );
+	void LoadFromStaticGraphic( const CString &sPath );
+	void LoadFromAniDir( const CString &sAniDir );
+	void LoadFromMovie( const CString &sMoviePath );
+	void LoadFromVisualization( const CString &sMoviePath );
+	void LoadFromNode( const CString &sDir, const XNode& node );
 
 	float GetLengthSeconds() const { return m_fLengthSeconds; }
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/BGAnimationLayer.cpp b/stepmania/src/BGAnimationLayer.cpp
index af5e02fc28..424d3a1fc6 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/BGAnimationLayer.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/BGAnimationLayer.cpp
@@ -819,6 +819,7 @@ void BGAnimationLayer::PlayCommand( const CString &sCommandName )
 	ActorFrame::PlayCommand( sCommandName );
 }
 
+
 /*
  * (c) 2001-2004 Ben Nordstrom, Chris Danford, Glenn Maynard
  * All rights reserved.
diff --git a/stepmania/src/NoteSkinManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/NoteSkinManager.cpp
index 04625b052f..fa944b0914 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/NoteSkinManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/NoteSkinManager.cpp
@@ -290,6 +290,7 @@ CString NoteSkinManager::GetPathToFromDir( const CString &sDir, const CString &s
 	CStringArray matches;		// fill this with the possible files
 
 	GetDirListing( sDir+sFileName+"*.redir",	matches, false, true );
+	GetDirListing( sDir+sFileName+"*.xml",		matches, false, true );
 	GetDirListing( sDir+sFileName+"*.actor",	matches, false, true );
 	GetDirListing( sDir+sFileName+"*.model",	matches, false, true );
 	GetDirListing( sDir+sFileName+"*.txt",		matches, false, true );
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
index 18b4ce28c2..425e5ba5a3 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
@@ -333,10 +333,10 @@ try_element_again:
 
 		for( unsigned p = 0; p < asPaths.size(); ++p )
 		{
-			static const char *masks[NUM_ELEMENT_CATEGORIES][12] = {
+			static const char *masks[NUM_ELEMENT_CATEGORIES][13] = {
 				{ "", NULL },
 				{ "ini", NULL },
-				{ "actor", "sprite", "png", "jpg", "bmp", "gif","avi", "mpg", "mpeg", "txt", "", NULL},
+				{ "xml", "actor", "sprite", "png", "jpg", "bmp", "gif","avi", "mpg", "mpeg", "txt", "", NULL},
 				{ "png", NULL },
 				{ "mp3", "ogg", "wav", NULL },
 				{ "sm", NULL },