Houston Ballet at Mahalia Jackson Theater

Houston Ballet makes its highly anticipated return with a stunning program that showcases the artistic depth and technical virtuosity of one of America’s premier ballet companies. George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux is described by New York City Ballet as “an eight-minute display of ballet bravura and technique.” Stanton Welch’s Velocity, created for The Australian Ballet in 2003, is a study in speed, characterized by rapid precision. It serves as a compelling and dynamic showcase of the athleticism of the company dancers. The Sydney Morning Herald calls it “a headlong gallop of virtuosic dance that is stamped with the classical technique, yet races ahead with explosive twists which test the dancers’ skills.” Choreographer Aszure Barton—whose eclectic works have graced countless international stages worldwide—sets a hypnotic, meditative tone with the powerful Come In, performed by 13 male dancers and crafted for her friend and mentor Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2006. After a critically-acclaimed debut in 2019, choreographer Disha Zhang’s Elapse returns to the stage for an encore not to be missed. Exploring the idea of aging and the passage of time, her first piece choreographed for an American company is set to a captivating original score by Zeng Xiaogang.