The Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet, a Houston-based ballet company, is known throughout America and the world as one of the best ballet companies ever developed. It was in fact hailed by The New York Times as “one of the nation’s best ballet companies” for several reasons, most are attributed to the great performances they produced.
The Houston Ballet is by far the fourth largest ballet organization known to man. Recent reports have noted that the company has about 53 dancers who have won gold and silver medals at the international ballet competitions they have participated. International, I said. And, today, such number of winning dancers will soar up high as the Houston Ballet is continually training students of ballet in their own academy.
The origin of Houston Ballet can be traced back to 1955 when it was founded as the Houston Ballet Company under the leadership of Tatiana Semenova who happened to be the best dancer of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was only after 14 years that the foundation was formed as a professional company, changing its name to Houston Ballet. From the hands of Semenova, it was passed on to its director, Nina Popova who was also a former dancer with the Ballet Russe and the American Ballet Theatre, another well-acclaimed ballet company on earth. It is now under the management of Stanton Welch who was considered as the artistic director of the foundation in 2003.
The Company’s Repertory
The Houston Ballet has embraced a vast repertoire of ballet masterpieces. Most of their performances were shown with a classical and modern touch. Perhaps this due to the fact that the Houston Ballet aims to incorporate both the greatest works in the past with the modern choreography. They have adapted a number of the great classical ballets from the nineteenth century, such as the Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. These masterpieces were adapted and revised though by their contemporary directors and choreographers namely: Natalie Weir, Christopher Bruce, Glen Tetley, Lila York, Matjash Mrozewski, and Julia Adams, not to mention Stanton Welch.
The Company’s Role as a Cultural Ambassador
At present, the Houston Ballet company is recognized throughout Houston, Texas as the cultural ambassador to the city of Houston for the number of international tours it has been considering. According to some reports, the Houston Ballet has performed in a number of cities in the world, over the last decade. They visited London, Beijing, Moscow, Toronto, Hong Kong, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Today, several other cities are on their list for future visits. Well, that is how busy and popular the Houston Ballet company is.
The Affiliates
Houston Ballet has developed an affiliated school, the Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. This school has actually emerged as one of the leading dance training centers in the United States. It has produced dancers who have successfully performed ballets and plays with the other celebrated ballet companies, like the Australian Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
With a strong commitment and dedication to the art of dancing, it’s no wonder that today the Houston Ballet has thrilled spectators throughout the city of Houston and across the nation with its superb ballet performances.
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