Ben Stevens News

Dance Council of North Texas (DCNT) is proud to announce the 2015 Dance Council Honors that will take place on September 6, 2015 at the Dallas City Performance Hall as part of the second annual Dallas DanceFest, September 4-6, 2015.

April 30-May 9, 2015, Houston Ballet returns to Canada to perform Artistic Director Stanton Welch's acclaimed staging of La Bayadere ("The Temple Dancer").

On Monday, Dec. 15, 2014 from 1 to 3 p.m., costumed dancers from Houston Ballet's production of The Nutcrackerwill make a special visit to Texas Children's and Hematology Centers. This holiday season Houston Ballet will present 35 performances of The Nutcracker at the Wortham Theater Center Nov. 28 - Dec. 28, and the dancers want to bring the magic of the performance to children who may not have the opportunity to see the production. On Dec. 15, 2014, Houston Ballet demi soloist Elise Elliott, corps de ballet dancers Rhodes Elliott, Jacquelyn Long, Katelyn May, Aaron Sharratt, and apprentice Mallory Mehaffey will participate in this event.

Following a successful run of The Nutcracker, Artistic Director Gabriel Zertuche has promoted company member Sally Turkel to Principal Dancer effective immediately.

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance tonight, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm. This year's program will feature the great American ballerina Julie Kent, a principal dancer with New York's American Ballet Theatre, who will make a special guest appearance. Ms. Kent will perform the leading female role in Stanton Welch's Clear (2001), a role she created at the work's premiere in 2001 in New York. Houston Ballet will also pay tribute to beloved first soloist Kelly Myernick, who is retiring after 14 years with the company. The Jubilee of Dance will close the evening with an excerpt of Stanton Welch's high-speed Velocity (2003), a ballet that pays homage to classical conventions in a contemporary manner. The Jubilee of Dance will be held at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance tonight, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm.

I talk to Allison Miller, a dancer whose sparkling personality manages her sparkling performance, about Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER.

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm. This year's program will feature the great American ballerina Julie Kent, a principal dancer with New York's American Ballet Theatre, who will make a special guest appearance. Ms. Kent will perform the leading female role in Stanton Welch's Clear (2001), a role she created at the work's premiere in 2001 in New York. Houston Ballet will also pay tribute to beloved first soloist Kelly Myernick, who is retiring after 14 years with the company. The Jubilee of Dance will close the evening with an excerpt of Stanton Welch's high-speed Velocity (2003), a ballet that pays homage to classical conventions in a contemporary manner. The Jubilee of Dance will be held at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm.

Houston Ballet Principal Dancers Karina Gonzalez and Connor Walsh will travel to Sydney, Australia to perform the leads roles of Nikiya and Solar in Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch's lavish production of La Bayadere with The Australian Ballet on Sunday, November 16; Monday, November 17; and Friday, November 21.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - From November 28 - December 28, 2014, Houston Ballet celebrates the holidays with Ben Stevenson's breathtaking production of The Nutcracker, seen by over 1,000,000 people since its premiere 27 years ago. The beloved ballet tells the story of a little girl named Clara who is given a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. She encounters the frightful King Rat before embarking on a wondrous journey through the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. Young and old alike will experience the many special effects, including the Christmas tree which "grows" to 40 feet, 200 pounds of "snow" falling during the snow scene, and the firing of cannon onstage. Houston Ballet will give 35 performances of The Nutcracker, to a live orchestra, in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713-227-2787 or logging on to www.houstonballet.org.

Ballet San Antonio opens its 2014-15 season with Dracula, a much-lauded homegrown work showcasing the artistic breadth of the resident ballet company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run today, Oct. 16 through 19.

Manhattan Youth Ballet and Manhattan Movement & Arts Center announce new faculty members for the fall 2014 semester: Garielle Whittle, Flavio Salazar, Martin Harvey, and Gennadi Saveliev.

Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent and Xiomara Reyes, Principal Dancers with American Ballet Theatre, have announced their retirements from the Company at the conclusion of the 2015 Metropolitan Opera House season in New York City. 'These three unique ballerinas have each made such distinctive contributions to ABT throughout the years,' Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie stated. 'With them, an era of our history resides. Their remarkable careers will be three more reasons to celebrate our 75th Anniversary season.'

Ballet San Antonio opens its 2014-15 season with Dracula, a much-lauded homegrown work showcasing the artistic breadth of the resident ballet company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run Oct. 16 through 19.

In this Broadway World interview, I have a very serious conversation with Lauren Strongin, soloist for the Houston Ballet. Really folks, I just could not think of one joke. But, this interview doesn't need my comedy. Lauren and I discussed FROM HOUSTON TO THE WORLD, in which she dances in all four pieces, overcoming injury, and making the move from Sarasota, Florida to Houston, Texas.

Houston Ballet's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, choreographed by John Neumeier, is a mix of neo-classical ballet, classical ballet, and the bard's timeless tale. In this interview, BWW had the pleasure of talking to Sara Webb, principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and Hippolyta and Hermia in this classic romantic comedy.

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the appointment of three new members of the artistic staff: Grace Holmes as the new Director of Kansas City Ballet School, Kristi Capps as the new Ballet Master and Anthony Krutzkamp as newly created position of Manager of KCB II. Carney also announced eleven new members of the Company, increasing the Company from 28 to 29 members for the 2014-2015 season. He also announced the appointment of four new KCB II dancers, which stands at six members. Carney also announced the creation of a Trainee Program with five students, two selected from Kansas City Ballet School.