Melody Mennite News

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, 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.

From today, June 15-15, 2014, Houston Ballet will cap its 2013-14 season with Stanton Welch's vibrantly theatrical staging of Swan Lake, which he created for Houston Ballet in 2006.

From June 15-15, 2014, Houston Ballet will cap its 2013-14 season with Stanton Welch's vibrantly theatrical staging of Swan Lake, which he created for Houston Ballet in 2006. Set to the hauntingly beautiful Tchaikovsky score, Swan Lake tells the classic tale of Odette - a beautiful maiden transformed into a swan by an evil knight - and the prince who swears his enduring love for her. It's good and evil in black and white, danced on rich and spectacular sets by the late, great New Zealand designer Kristian Fredrikson. Houston Ballet will give nine performances of Swan Lake at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

Tonight, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m., Houston Ballet II and the entire school will present its 2014 Spring Showcase in the Cullen Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

On Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m., Houston Ballet II and the entire school will present its 2014 Spring Showcase in the Cullen Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets start at $28 and may be purchased by calling 713 227 ARTS (713 227 2787) or online at www.houstonballet.org. All proceeds raised by the performances will benefit Houston Ballet Academy.

In celebration of Stanton Welch's tenth anniversary as Artistic Director at Houston Ballet, the company is presenting a mixed repertory program that showcases his work as a choreographer. Across the three acts, audiences are treated to stunningly beautiful stage pictures, fascinating movement, and breathtaking feats of agility and poise. With their THE YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA program, Houston Ballet splendidly illustrates why Houston is truly to lucky to have Stanton Welch in our city.

Last night, Houston Ballet presented the American Premiere performance of David Bintley's spellbinding ALADDIN. The ballet, commissioned by National Ballet of Japan, had its World Premiere on November 15, 2008. For this opulent and mesmerizing theatrical treat, choreographer David Bintley pulls his inspiration from the original story; however, his ballet stills delivers everything fans of the 1992 Disney film expect from the story.

On Monday, February 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costumed dancers from Houston Ballet's production of Aladdin will make a special visit to Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers. This month, Houston Ballet will present eight performances of Aladdin at the Wortham Theater Center February 20 - March 2, and the dancers want to bring the magic of the performance to children who may not have the opportunity to see the production. Houston Ballet principal Melody Mennite, principal Joseph Walsh, soloist Nao Kusuzaki, soloist Lauren Strongin, and corps de ballet dancers Katelyn May, Aria Alekzander, and Aaron Sharratt will participate in this event.

On Monday, February 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costumed dancers from Houston Ballet's production ofAladdin will make a special visit to Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers. This month, Houston Ballet will present eight performances of Aladdin at the Wortham Theater Center February 20 – March 2, and the dancers want to bring the magic of the performance to children who may not have the opportunity to see the production. Houston Ballet principal Melody Mennite, principal Joseph Walsh, soloist Nao Kusuzaki, soloist Lauren Strongin, and corps de ballet dancers Katelyn May, Aria Alekzander, and Aaron Sharratt will participate in this event.

As a ballet, THE MERRY WIDOW is an adaptation of Franz Lehar's popular romantic operetta Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), which premiered in 1905. In the process of adapting the score for ballet, John Lanchbery and Alan Abott retained the style of Franz Lehar's orchestrations and included several of the well-known tunes from the operetta. Their score premiered in 1975 when The Australian Ballet, under the Musical Direction of John Lanchbery, produced the World Premiere production with choreography by Ronald Hynd and Scenario and Staging by Sir Robert Helpmann. This grandiose and radiant ballet of THE MERRY WIDOW had its Houston Ballet Premiere on September 17, 1995 in the Brown Theater. The Houston Ballet also performed it in 1999 and 2007. Now, in 2013, the lavish production is serving as Mireille Hassenboehler's gorgeous swan song and letter of admiration to the audiences of the Houston Ballet.

The Houston Ballet is notorious for providing audiences with top-notch productions and a supremely talented company. Launching into their 2013-2014 season, Houston Ballet opens with FOUR PREMIERES. Consisting of one American premiere and three world premieres, FOUR PREMIERES is a wonderful evening of dance, with works choreographed by Chrisopher Bruce, Melissa Hough, Garrett Smith, and James Kudelka.

The Houston Ballet organization is imbued with talent from top to bottom. Last year, they organized an event in which the dancers got to experiment and begin growing their own individual choreographic voices. Thursday, December 13, 2012 was their second event with this goal in mind. A small, invitation only audience was treated to an evening of fantastic talent on display in 14 world première ballets by names that are sure to leave a lasting impression on the world of dance.

Today, Dec. 3, 2012 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costumed dancers from Houston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker will make a special visit to Texas Children's Cancer Center

On Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costumed dancers from Houston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker will make a special visit to Texas Children's Cancer Center

The main purpose and goal of Houston Ballet's WOMEN@ART is to celebrate the ability of women to choreograph interesting, thought-provoking, and fully realized ballets. In 2004, Stanton Welch was met with fantastic success the first time he programmed three one-act ballets choreographed by women in his inaugural WOMEN@ART performance. The 2012 offering, complete with a World Premiere by Aszure Barton, will hopefully motivate and empower young girls and women interested in dance and choreography to follow their dreams while opening a dialogue about the value of female voices in the dance world.

The Houston Ballet is synonymous with fantastic and sumptuous performances. Each of their dancers, from Principals to Apprentices, is a supremely talented artist at the top of their class in professional skill. Currently, Houston Ballet is featuring their male dancers in CLEAR, which was created for American Ballet Theatre in New York City in 2001, and their ability to move audiences through gorgeous storytelling in MADAME BUTTERFLY, which has its world premiere on February 24, 1995 by The Australian Ballet and its Houston premiere on September 19, 2002. These pieces are distinctly different from each other; yet, Stanton Welch's choreography is sure to leave audiences breathless and spellbound in both productions.