Houston Ballet Reveals 2026-2027 Season - MADAME BUTTERFLY, SWAN LAKE and More
The season will also feature the world premiere of Where’s Alice?, Manon and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 17, 2026
Houston Ballet has revealed its 2026-2027 Season, a lineup that foregrounds the company’s dual commitment to artistic innovation and rich performance traditions. This season highlights mixed repertory programs with world premieres, immersive new storytelling, and iconic narrative ballets — all performed on the Wortham Theater Center stage.
Pecos Bill – Mixed Repertory
September 11-20, 2026
Houston Ballet opens the season with a spirited mixed repertory featuring Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante, Lar Lubovitch’s Meadow, and Stanton Welch’s Pecos Bill. Symphonie Concertante, an exemplar of Balanchine’s musical clarity and dynamic classical style, sets an elegant tone. Meadow, a lush and lyrical piece by revered choreographer Lar Lubovitch — in whose original cast Houston Ballet’s own Artistic Director Julie Kent once danced — marks the Company’s first collaboration with Lubovitch, bringing his expressive movement vocabulary to Houston audiences for the first time. The program closes with Welch’s rollicking Pecos Bill, a beloved ballet infused with American mythic energy.
Manon
September 24 - October 4, 2026
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon returns to the Wortham, a richly dramatic narrative ballet centered on love, desire, and moral disillusionment. One of Houston Ballet’s cherished story ballets — first performed by the company in 1994 — Manon showcases deep emotional storytelling and lavish choreography, making it a perennial favorite in the repertoire.
Where’s Alice? World Premiere
February 25 - March 7, 2027
Houston Ballet presents Where’s Alice?, an entirely new world premiere that transports audiences into an imaginative re-envisioning of Carroll’s iconic tale. Designed as a fully immersive theater experience, the production incorporates cutting-edge audio and visual effects to create a living, breathing world that audiences will follow down the rabbit hole. This production promises a bold fusion of dance, spectacle, and storytelling unlike anything previously seen on the Wortham stage.
Madame Butterfly
March 11-21, 2027
Puccini’s heartbreaking score meets ballet in Madame Butterfly, a dramatic exploration of love, sacrifice, and cultural collision. Houston Ballet has long excelled at presenting emotionally rich narrative works, and Madame Butterfly continues this tradition with lush choreography and powerful performances.
The Rite of Spring – Mixed Repertory
May 27 - June 6, 2027
This mixed repertory program pushes artistic boundaries with three striking works: Justin Peck’s Reflections, a hypnotic contemporary ballet by one of today’s most influential choreographers; a world premiere by Jacquelyn Long, adding fresh creative voice to the company’s season; and Welch’s The Rite of Spring, a visceral and elemental reimagining of Stravinsky’s seismic score that highlights rhythmic intensity and raw physicality.
Swan Lake
June 10-27, 2027
Houston Ballet concludes the season with Swan Lake, one of the most beloved and enduring ballets in the classical canon. Stanton Welch’s celebrated production — first staged by Houston Ballet in 2006 and repeated multiple times since, reinforcing the company’s mastery of full-length classical storytelling — returns for an extended engagement that showcases dramatic depth, technical brilliance, and the spellbinding transformation of Odette/Odile.
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