Houston Ballet facts for kids

The Houston Ballet is a professional ballet company located in Houston, Texas. It's run by the Houston Ballet Foundation. With 59 dancers, they put on more than 85 shows every year! It's actually the 5th largest ballet company in the United States.

History of the Houston Ballet

The idea of professional ballet in Houston started growing in the 1930s. A famous group called Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performed in Houston every Christmas for 11 years. This made people want their own local dance company.

The Houston Ballet began with the Houston Ballet Academy, which opened in 1955. It was led by Tatiana Semenova, a former dancer. In 1969, a professional ballet company was formed. It was directed by Nina Popova, who also danced with the Ballets Russes.

Artistic Directors and Choreographers

From 1976 to 2003, Ben Stevenson was the artistic director. He was a dancer from England. Under his leadership, the Houston Ballet became famous around the world.

In 1989, Kenneth MacMillan joined the company as an artistic associate. He worked with them until 1992. Christopher Bruce became the resident choreographer. He has created many dances for the company.

In 1995, Trey McIntyre became a choreographic associate. He created seven new dances, including a full-length Peter Pan. In 2003, Australian choreographer Stanton Welch became the Artistic Director. He has created many works for the Houston Ballet.

Breaking Barriers in Ballet

In 1982, Sandra Organ joined the Houston Ballet. She was 19 and became the company's first African American ballerina. She later became a soloist and danced with the company for 15 years.

In 1990, Lauren Anderson became the Houston Ballet's first African-American principal dancer. She continued to dance with the company until she retired in 2006.

International Recognition

In July 1995, the Houston Ballet made history. They were the first American ballet company invited by the Chinese government to tour their country. About 500 million people watched their opening night performance of Romeo and Juliet on Chinese television!

For their 40th season in 2010, Stanton Welch created a new show called La Bayadère. In 2011, the company won the Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance. This allowed them to buy a new dance piece by Jorma Elo.

In 2012, James Nelson became the Executive Director. In July 2023, Julie Kent joined Stanton Welch as a co-artistic director.

The Houston Ballet Orchestra

The Houston Ballet first performed with a live orchestra in December 1972. They performed Nutcracker with the Houston Symphony.

In 1983, Glenn Langdon became the music director. He made sure the orchestra had fully auditioned musicians. He also made the string section bigger.

Ermanno Florio became the music director in 1992. The Houston Ballet Orchestra now has 61 part-time professional musicians. They also have eight full-time pianists and other part-time musicians for classes and rehearsals.

Houston Ballet Center for Dance

Houston Ballet Center for Dance, the administrative headquarters

The Houston Ballet Center for Dance is a huge building. It has 115,000 square feet spread over six floors. It's the largest building in the United States made just for a professional dance company!

The first floor has the Margaret Alkek Williams Dance Lab. This space is used for performances, talks, and rehearsals. The building also has offices, a costume shop, a shoe room, and studios for the Houston Ballet Academy and the professional company.

Work on the building started in July 2009. It cost $46.6 million to build. Staff moved in during February 2011. The mayor at the time, Annise Parker, officially opened the building on April 9.

Recovering from Hurricane Harvey

On August 26, 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. Both the Houston Ballet Center for Dance and the Wortham Theater Center were flooded. This left the company without places to rehearse or perform. This happened just as their 2017–18 season was about to start.

Even with the flooding, the Houston premiere of Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling still happened on time. This was possible thanks to The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

The Wortham Theater Center was badly damaged, with 15 feet of water inside. It stayed closed for the rest of the season. Much of the Houston Ballet's history was lost to the floodwaters. To save the 2017–18 season, the Houston Ballet went on a "Hometown Tour." They performed their shows at different places, like The Hobby Center and the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land.

Houston Ballet on Film

In 2009, a movie called Mao’s Last Dancer was made. It was based on the life story of Li Cunxin, a former Houston Ballet Principal dancer. The movie won awards for its music.

Another film, Sons de L’âme, was made into a documentary in 2013. This documentary was shown at the 2014 Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Ballet de Houston para niños