Ben Stevenson 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.

DENVER – Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs promoted Corps de Ballet dancers Morgan Buchanan and Kevin Gaël Thomas to Soloists.  In addition, Boggs promoted two Studio Company dancers to Apprentices, for a total of 30 professional Company dancers for the 2016-2017 season.

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.

?Metropolitan Ballet Academy & Company (MBA/MBC), recognized by Pointe magazine as one of “seven local studios in America cultivating top talent” (Oct/Nov 2011), will celebrate its 20th Anniversary year with a Gala Performance on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 4:00 pm. Alumni from Metropolitan's two decades of training will return from their professional engagements with dance companies across America to perform in the Gala, which also features pre-professional Metropolitan Ballet Company dancers in classical and contemporary works. The Gala Performance will be held at the Josephine Muller Auditorium of Abington Friends School, 575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046. Tickets are $50 each and available at 215-663-1665 or online at www.metropolitanballetcompany.org.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – 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. To build upon the anticipation and excitement surrounding the upcoming production Houston Ballet's marketing team has devised a unique three-phase brand campaign to introduce audiences to the new look and feel of the ballet.  

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This afternoon The Washington Ballet Board of Directors selected Julie Kent, retired Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and artistic director of the ABT Summer Intensive program, as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet (TWB) effective, July 1, 2016. 

Philadelphia, PA (March 3, 2016) – Pennsylvania Ballet's Artistic Director, Angel Corella, has announced the repertoire for the 2016-2017 Season. The Company's 53rd Season will be the second to have all performances selected by Corella. With the 2016-2017 Season, Corella continues to raise the level of dance and broaden the scope of programming for Pennsylvania Ballet.

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.

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.

The Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (VKIBC 2016) is dedicated to Violette Verdy, a wonderful human being as well as 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. This year's event will be held April 25-30, 2016 at Symphony Space (95th Street and Broadway) in New York City.

?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.

January 19, 2016—(Boston, MA) Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has announced three promotions from within the Company: Paul Craig (USA) and Irlan Silva (Brazil) have been promoted to soloist, and Alexander Maryianowski (USA) has been promoted to the corps de ballet from Boston Ballet II (BBII), Boston Ballet's second company. The Company is comprised of 68 dancers—including nine dancers in Boston Ballet II (BBII)—representing 20 nationalities. Nissinen continues Boston Ballet's tradition of developing a strong, versatile company by cultivating talent from within the Company and Boston Ballet School and recruiting from all over the world.

Texas Ballet Theater Breaks Records with 2015 Production of The Nutcracker

You have some time to create one more memory of Stevenson's version (before Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch dazzles us with his version next year). Let Demi soloist Christopher Gray be your guide. In his interview with BroadwayWorld.com, he talks the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and the pleasures and pains of this year's 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.