Ben Stevens News

Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella are proud to open the season on October 13 - 23 with Ben Stevenson's Cinderella sponsored by PECO. Three weeks later, Revolution, a triple - bill featuring the George Balanchine classicSquare Dance, David Dawson's The Third Light, and a World Premiere by Philadelphia-based choreographer Brian Sanders will run November 11 - 13.

Texas Ballet Theater (TBT), the resident ballet company of Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, has named Vanessa Logan as its new executive director, effective September 6, Anne T. Bass, chairman of the TBT Board of Governors, announced.

Houston Ballet, America's fifth largest ballet company, unveiled the first phase of a marketing plan for Artistic Director Stanton Welch's new production of THE NUTCRACKER which premieres on November 25, 2016.

Monkey Baa Theatre Company has created another wonderful work for children with their interpretation of Li Cunxin's children's book THE PEASANT PRINCE.

Valentina Kozlova's International Ballet Competition 2016 is April 25-3 at Symphony Space, 95tStreet & Broadway.  The event is dedicated toViolette Verdy. The beloved ballerina, choreographer, teacher, and writer was an early mentor of VKIBC and Valentina Kozlova.   Ms. Verdy was a judge in the first edition of VKIBC and later a competition honorary chairman.

Texas Ballet Theater Artistic Director Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., announces the Company's 2016-2017 season, which includes a co-production with London's world-renowned Royal Ballet, two world premieres, a company premiere by a Tony Award-winning choreographer, and a performance that will rock North Texas with music by the Rolling Stones.

From February 25 - March 6, 2016, in celebration of Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson's 80th birthday, Houston Ballet will revive his spectacular staging of The Sleeping Beauty. The ballet is a flagship work for the company and a piece that is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of classical ballet. The Sleeping Beauty is based on the classic French fairy tale by Charles Perrault: a beautiful princess is cursed by an evil fairy and doomed to sleep for 100 years - only to be awakened by the kiss of the handsome prince who loves her. Desmond Heeley's spectacular designs beautifully evoke the magic, drama and whimsy of this great work. Houston Ballet will give nine performances of The Sleeping Beauty at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

BWW Review: Houston Ballet Gives A Luxurious Experience With THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

In tribute to Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson's 80th birthday, Houston Ballet stages Stevenson's lush version of the preeminent ballet THE SLEEPING BEAUTY for the first time in 5 years. In Ivan Vsevolozhsky's libretto, Carabosse, an evil fairy, curses Princess Aurora (the Sleeping Beauty). The princess sleeps for a hundred years, only to be saved when her handsome prince, Florimund, awakens her with a kiss.

?From February 25 - March 6, 2016, in celebration of Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson's 80th birthday, Houston Ballet will revive his spectacular staging of The Sleeping Beauty. The ballet is a flagship work for the company and a piece that is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of classical ballet. The Sleeping Beauty is based on the classic French fairy tale by Charles Perrault: a beautiful princess is cursed by an evil fairy and doomed to sleep for 100 years - only to be awakened by the kiss of the handsome prince who loves her. Desmond Heeley's spectacular designs beautifully evoke the magic, drama and whimsy of this great work. Houston Ballet will give nine performances of The Sleeping Beauty at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

Texas Ballet Theater (TBT), the only arts organization to serve as resident company for both leading performance venues in Dallas and Fort Worth, will perform Classic Combination at Bass Performance Hall, February 26-28, with accompaniment by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. This mixed-rep features two Company premieres and one classic by George Balanchine.

Texas Ballet Theater Breaks Records with 2015 Production of The Nutcracker

Be sure to ring in the holiday season with Ben Stevenson's critically-acclaimed version of The Nutcracker. Relauched as a new production last year, this beloved ballet follows teenage Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker Prince on a thrilling adventure to the Kingdom of Sweets.

?Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) ushers in the holiday season with one of North Texas' most acclaimed productions, Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, at Bass Performance Hall throughout December. After opening the 2015-2016 season with Dracula, TBT buries the Count and his brides and awakens The Snow Queen in this festive journey through the Kingdom of Sweets.

December 27, 2015, Houston Ballet bids farewell to Ben Stevenson's beloved production of The Nutcracker. Created by Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson, with designs by acclaimed designer Desmond Heeley, Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker has been Houston's premiere holiday tradition since 1987.

TITAS Presents, in association with the AT&T Performing Arts Center, proudly announced today that it is co-commissioning an evening of new work by Twyla Tharp, one of the most important and influential choreographers of our time. The work will premiere in Dallas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on September 18 and 19, launching Tharp's Fiftieth Anniversary Tour. The 10-week North American tour will celebrate Tharp's five decades of dance-making for both modern and ballet companies, television, the Broadway stage and Hollywood films.

As the hot Texas sun starts to cool off, and school buses are back on the traffic-lined roads, one thing is clear: summer is nearly over, and fall is right around the corner. Just as Pumpkin Spice Lattes begin flowing at Starbucks, Texas Ballet Theatre welcomes in the new season with DRACULA, now onstage at the Winspear Opera House, and soon moving to Bass Hall. Though Halloween might still be a few weeks away, this fine company is starting off the celebration with a scare!

TITAS Presents, in association with the AT&T Performing Arts Center, proudly announced today that it is co-commissioning an evening of new work by Twyla Tharp, one of the most important and influential choreographers of our time. The work will premiere in Dallas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on September 18 and 19, launching Tharp's Fiftieth Anniversary Tour. The 10-week North American tour will celebrate Tharp's five decades of dance-making for both modern and ballet companies, television, the Broadway stage and Hollywood films.

Retired principal ballet dancer of American Ballet Theater, Julie Kent, will begin as artistic director of the summer intensive programs for young dancers with the company.  She will also be a teacher and coach for the Ballet Theater, its studio company, and at its Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, as reported by the NY Times.

The Kennedy Center, in association with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, the National New Play Network (NNPN)-the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays-and with Stanford University's National Center for New Plays, will host more than 50 playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs from July 25 to August 2, 2015 as part of the 10th annual weeklong MFA Playwrights' Workshop featuring new works by MFA students from Columbia University, Northwestern University, Fordham University, Yale School of Drama, the Juilliard School, New York University-Tisch School of the Arts, University of California-San Diego, and the Juilliard School.