Ronald Hynd News

Houston Ballet is back in full force to rehearse for the upcoming season and celebrate its triumphant return home to the Wortham Theater Center.

ZHONG-JING FANG, soloist of American Ballet Theatre, PAOLA HARTLEY, former principal dancer of Ballet Arizona, KARL CONDON, former principal dancer of the Boston Ballet, and ILYA KOZADAYEV, former soloist of the Houston Ballet will be on the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Intensive to be held in Shreveport, Louisiana.   Zhong-Jing Fang and Paola Hartley will be on the faculty from July 23-27, 2018, and Karl Condon and  Ilya Kozadayev will be on the faculty from July 30-August 3, 2018.  

The classic comic love story proves timeless as The Australian Ballet's THE MERRY WIDOW returns to the Sydney stage 43 years after it debuted in Melbourne in 1975.

The Merry Widow returns to the stage in 2018 with a whirl of fabulous frocks and a generous splash of champagne. The tangled tale of love and diplomacy will be delighting audiences in Sydney from 28 April to 19 May 2018, Canberra from 25 to 30 May and Melbourne from 7 to 16 June.

The Sarasota Ballet will revive Galina Samsova's production of Paquita during the company's 2018-19 season. The performances will take place on October 26, 27, and 28, 2018 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota, Florida. Miss Samsova's production of Paquita was first staged for the Sarasota Ballet in 2010.

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents The Washington Ballet: Julie Kent and Gemma Bond on Sunday and Monday, February 25 and 26, 2018 at 7:30pm.

On Sunday and Monday, April 30 and May 1, 2017 at 7:30pm, Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents performance highlights and discussion on American Ballet Theatre's newest production, Whipped Cream by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky in collaboration with pop surrealist Mark Ryden.  Ratmansky and moderator John Meehan will discuss the new work and ABT dancers will perform excerpts prior to the New York premiere.

Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on December 3 and 4, 2016 at the Golden Gate High School Auditorium in Naples, Florida.

From June 9 - 19, 2016, Houston Ballet will conclude its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of artistic director Stanton Welch's Giselle. The world premiere of Giselle is made possible through the generosity of longtime Houston Ballet supporter and trustee Lynn Wyatt. This production will showcase the company's strength and depth of talent, while staying true to the original story of love, betrayal, and redemption, set in the Romantic era. The ballet is set to the famous score by Adolphe Adam and designed by renowned Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, who will create the scenery and costumes for the production.

From June 9 - 19, 2016, Houston Ballet will conclude its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of artistic director Stanton Welch's Giselle. The world premiere of Giselle is made possible through the generosity of longtime Houston Ballet supporter and trustee Lynn Wyatt. This production will showcase the company's strength and depth of talent, while staying true to the original story of love, betrayal, and redemption, set in the Romantic era. The ballet is set to the famous score by Adolphe Adam and designed by renowned Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, who will create the scenery and costumes for the production.

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. 

Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet dancer Brittany Reid has announced she will be retiring at the end of the run of Kent Stowell's Swan Lake (April 10 - 19), following a 15-year career with PNB.

From the downbeat of the divine Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, led to perfection by the talented Michael Moricz, to the final company bow, led by the show's original choreographer, Ronald Hynd, The Merry Widow offers an enchanted evening at Bass Performance Hall.

From the 10 - 15 March 2015 English National Ballet presents Modern Masters: Icons of 20th Century Choreography, a new triple bill at Sadler's Wells. The evening's programme includes works from two choreographers new to the Company's repertoire, William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated and Spring and Fall by John Neumeier. The triple bill also includes Ji?í Kylián's Petite Mort, first performed by the Company in Ecstasy and Death in 2013.

From September 4-14, 2014, Houston Ballet launches its 45th season with the company premiere of John Neumeier's three-act ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's lighthearted play of the same name and follows the hijinks and hilarity that ensues when a well-intentioned plan with a love potion goes awry. Created in 1977, A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as Mr. Neumeier's calling card, being seen as one of his most joyous and popular creations. Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform the famous work and it is the first piece by Mr. Neumeier to enter the Houston Ballet repertoire.

The curtain comes down on Pacific Northwest Ballet's 41st season with its annual Season Encore Performance, a crowd-pleasing reprise of some of PNB's greatest hits. A thrilling evening of inspired repertory selections and awe-inspiring performances (including Crystal Pite's show-stopper, Emergence), the program will feature PNB's entire Company, along with the mighty PNB Orchestra. The Season Encore Performance will be presented one night only, Sunday, June 8 at 6:30 pm at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased exclusively through the PNB Box Office (206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center.)

Paola Hartley and Astrit Zejnati, principal dancers of Ballet Arizona, will be members of the faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Intensive from July 28-August 1, 2014 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

GINGER THATCHER, former principal dancer of the Cleveland Ballet and former soloist of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and PHILLIP BROOMHEAD, former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet and the Houston Ballet, will members of the faculty for the Goh Ballet Academy's Summer Program in Vancouver, Canada from July 7-August 9, 2014.

SEATTLE, WA-Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season continues with the perfect Valentine and a happily-ever-after experience for all ages, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty. From fairies that really fly to the Prince's wakening kiss and an imperial wedding celebration, each moment of The Sleeping Beauty faithfully portrays the beloved fairy tale with grand storytelling, Tchaikovsky's beloved score, magnificent sets and costumes, and over 30 leading roles. Long regarded as the ideal classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty's fairytale world was crafted to mirror the splendor of the Imperial Czars, its first patrons. Although this production is as discernibly English as its choreographer, the ballet remains true to Marius Petipa's 1890 original and each act - from the evil fairy Carabosse's flying entrance in the Prologue to the Rose Adagio's spectacular balances to Act III's celebrated Bluebird pas de deux - offers rich opportunities for dancers to demonstrate technique and artistry, and take star-turns. Ultimately, however, the pivotal brilliance of Beauty rests with Princess Aurora; she must captivate as a teenager, inspire a Prince's love as a vision, and awaken a queen, all while mastering some of the most technically grueling choreography in classical ballet's cannon - a genuine mark of distinction for a great ballerina. The Sleeping Beauty runs for nine performances only, January 31 to February 9, 2014 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.

SEATTLE, WA-Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season continues with the perfect Valentine and a happily-ever-after experience for all ages, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty. From fairies that really fly to the Prince's wakening kiss and an imperial wedding celebration, each moment of The Sleeping Beauty faithfully portrays the beloved fairy tale with grand storytelling, Tchaikovsky's beloved score, magnificent sets and costumes, and over 30 leading roles. Long regarded as the ideal classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty's fairytale world was crafted to mirror the splendor of the Imperial Czars, its first patrons. Although this production is as discernibly English as its choreographer, the ballet remains true to Marius Petipa's 1890 original and each act - from the evil fairy Carabosse's flying entrance in the Prologue to the Rose Adagio's spectacular balances to Act III's celebrated Bluebird pas de deux - offers rich opportunities for dancers to demonstrate technique and artistry, and take star-turns. Ultimately, however, the pivotal brilliance of Beauty rests with Princess Aurora; she must captivate as a teenager, inspire a Prince's love as a vision, and awaken a queen, all while mastering some of the most technically grueling choreography in classical ballet's cannon - a genuine mark of distinction for a great ballerina. The Sleeping Beauty runs for nine performances only, January 31 to February 9, 2014 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.