Save the Date!

We’ve got two great events coming up in Houston Ballet’s season, so mark your calendars!

Academy Spring Showcase: April 20-21

See the rising stars of Houston Ballet’s professional training school as they showcase their talents.  The Spring Showcase is always a great look at future company members “before they were famous”.  The repertoire for this year’s showcase will include Stanton Welch’s A Dance in the Garden of Mirth, the classical ballet Paquita, and Houston Ballet Soloist Ilya Kozadayev’s Impromptu.

There will be two performances of the Academy Spring Showcase: Friday, April 20 at 7 PM and Saturday, April 31 at 1:30 PM.  Tickets start at $25 and may be purchased by calling 713.227.ARTS.

FREE Performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre: May 11-13 at 8 PM

Houston Ballet will give three free performances on May 11, 12, and 13 at 8 PM at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park.  The repertoire will include Giselle and a pas de deux from Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake and a pas de deux from Le Corsaire (“The Pirate”) 

Performances are free and open to the public, but tickets must be picked up from the Miller Theatre Box Office to sit in the covered reserved section of the theatre. To learn more call 281.373.3386. We hope to see you there!

Just Add Pilates: Developing a Dancer’s Toolbox

Guest writer: Jaclyn Youngblood, Houston Ballet Academy Intern

Dancing isn’t the only intensive aspect of the 2011 Summer Intensive Program. One of the goals of the program, especially under Academy Associate Director Shelly Power, is to offer students a comprehensive variety of classes and tools that will enhance their life experiences, even if they don’t pursue careers as professional dancers.

One way the program seeks to provide that balance is through the Pilates program. Students can sign up for five half-hour appointments throughout the course of the summer with one of four Pilates teachers. I spent a few minutes with one of the teachers, Jo Yost Ulrich, a former Houston Ballet company member, to find out more about the Pilates program and what makes it so successful.

Ulrich said the classes are kept small—no more than 3 students are scheduled at a time—on purpose; each student receives meaningful attention and an opportunity to work one-on-one with the instructor. This summer, 75 students are taking advantage of the Pilates program.

Body Conditioning Room at Houston Ballet Center for Dance

As with all cross-training programs, Ulrich said the Pilates training enables students to strengthen already developed muscles while targeting harder-to-reach muscles, too. It also balances out the muscle-work they do in the studio to prevent over-training and injury.

The students are shown some basic Pilates exercises, a sort of “highlights reel” of tools they can use on their own.  It is helpful for the dancers to see they don’t need to have expensive equipment to take care of their muscles and bodies.

 “The ability to do self-maintenance and have these tools to take home is invaluable,” Ulrich said.

It’s clear the dancers appreciate the opportunity to have small-group appointments. I intercepted three dancers, each of whom participated in the Pilates program last summer, on their way out of their appointments. Charlotte (TX) said having an instructor coach her through the exercises helps her understand how each muscle works. Erica (TX) looks forward to her Pilates appointments because she knows they will be tailored to the needs of her body and muscles. Alana (TX) said she likes that the training in her Pilates appointments translates to the work she does in class.

“This year, we have a packet with explanations and pictures of the exercises so we can work on things on our own, too,” Charlotte added.

Ulrich said the Pilates training in its current form has been part of the Summer Intensive Program for about 10 years. She has been a Pilates instructor for seven summers and has enjoyed seeing the extracurricular offerings grow during that time. She mentioned one newcomer to the alternative class list this summer: Dance Fitness with Sarah Irvine. The class is a way to develop strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health. Ulrich said the goal is to create a stronger base so dancers can focus on what’s most important: for example, focusing on technique in technique class instead of working on baseline breath capacity.

“The more we give them new knowledge, the better they can take care of themselves,” Ulrich said.

Championing health and wellness is the best way to prepare dancers for the future, whether that future is on or off the stage.

-Jaclyn

Ms. Youngblood is interning with the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy for the summer. She is currently a senior at Rice University, studying history and political science. She will be posting blogs about the 2011 Summer Intensive Program twice a week on a range of topics, like career studies and nutrition classes. You can also look forward to a video interview series with some of the dancers participating in this summer’s intensive. You can stay updated via our “Meet the Dancers” series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/houstonballet.

Q&A with Houston Ballet II Dancer Harper Watters

Guest writer: Andrea Duarte, Houston Ballet public relations intern

Houston Ballet II dancer Harper Watters, a 2010 Prix de Lausanne finalist and winner in the contemporary division, joins us for a quick interview in between rehearsals.  You can see Watters dancing his final performances with Houston Ballet II at this year’s Academy Spring Showcase April 29-30 before he joins Houston Ballet as an apprentice.

AD: How has your life changed since participating and winning the Prix de Lausanne in the contemporary category?
HW: Haha, this is the first time I can Google myself, and I come up! And, I got a job—an apprenticeship with Houston Ballet—when I came back. And that had been my goal, to dance with a professional company. It was a great moment when I realized everything I had done had all been worth it. Also, I think I came back with a more professional attitude toward class and rehearsal. I know it’ll be a different work ethic to be with a professional company, and I’ll be at the bottom again, but I’m very excited for what’s to come.

AD: Why did you choose Houston Ballet for your apprenticeship over other international opportunities?
HW: I had already had some experience with the company while in Houston Ballet II, so I was very comfortable with the teachers and had worked extensively with the main company. I knew how they worked, and they knew my strengths and weaknesses, and I respected their direction and repertoire. For my first experience in a professional company, I just wanted to feel comfortable.

AD: What was your favorite part about the Prix de Lausanne experience?
HW: I think it was realizing all my hard work had been correct. There were some things they said that I was doing [as far as technique] that others weren’t. I realized Houston Ballet is in a league of their own. I definitely made the right choice in coming here. And after the experience, just the pure shock of winning, and not having that pressure anymore.

Harper Watters in "Blue". Photo: Amitava Sarkar.

  AD: Had you been to Switzerland or Europe before? What did you think of the country? People? Food?
HW: No, I had never been to Europe or Switzerland before. It was actually my second time leaving the country; the first was when we went on tour to Guatemala last year. Switzerland was amazing. It was so quaint, there were no big SUVs, just tiny little cars, the buildings were all old fashioned, there were all these hills, it wasn’t flat anywhere. The food was really good, and the people were really sweet. I even learned some words in French. It was funny to see (the Swiss’) reactions when I ordered a glass of milk with my croissant, apparently that’s not normal there!

AD: We’ll next be able to see you dancing at the Academy Spring Showcase coming up at the end of April. For those who are not familiar with the event, how would you describe it to them?
HW: I would describe it as a great opportunity to see the young dancers of the future. Not all will end up at Houston Ballet, but at other top companies all over the world. You get to see them before they start their careers. In the tours I’ve been a part of, people are surprised at Houston Ballet II’s maturity and high level of performance. In the Showcase we get to show off all our hard work!

AD: What has been your favorite performance in the Showcase and why?
HW: This is only my second year, but last year we got to perform the world premiere of Calling by choreographer and dancer Ma Cong from Tulsa Ballet, which was a first for Houston Ballet II. I was honored to be cast. I had never danced that style, and it was a lot of fun.

AD: What are you most looking forward to in this year’s show?
HW: Stanton Welch’s Studies. I’m most looking forward to being onstage with all of Houston Ballet II at the same time. It’s exhilarating to share that experience with everyone, and to look over and see all your classmates performing. It’ll be last thing I do with Houston Ballet II.

AD: If you weren’t dancing, what other career would you have pursued?
HW: My dream after my dancing career culminates is to become a teacher or a ballet master. I love cleaning and setting ballets. I love the work involved in analyzing technique as well. But other than dance, I am really into English. Both of my parents are English professors, so the goal was for me to be the fourth generation at Dartmouth. But at this point, I can’t see my life without dance in it.

AD: What are your goals for the future, and where can we expect to find you?
HW: My goal is to dance as much as possible. I don’t have specific aspirations to become a principal dancer, or to dance any particular leads—my aspiration is to dance as much variety with as many different choreographers as possible. I want to choose when to stop dancing, as opposed to the opposite. Hopefully you’ll see me here! If not I’ll for sure still be dancing—it will always be a part of my life.

For more information about Harper Watter’s upcoming performances, please visit Houston Ballet’s website.

Mark Your Calendars

We’ve got two great events coming up in Houston Ballet’s season, so save the date!

Academy Spring Showcase: April 29-30

See the rising stars of Houston Ballet’s professional training school as they showcase their talents.  The Spring Showcase is always a great look at future company members “before they were famous”.  The repertoire for this year’s showcase will include Stanton Welch’s Brigade, a pas de deux from Le Corsaire, and a pas de deux from Ben Stevenson’s staging of Don Quixote.

HBII, Houston Ballet’s second company, will also perform Jane Weiner’s Bloom Where You Are Planted, which was created especially for HBII. Ms. Weiner currently serves as executive director of Hope Stone Dance in Houston.

There will be two performances of the Academy Spring Showcase: Friday, April 29 at 7 PM and Saturday, April 30 at 1:30 PM.  Tickets start at $25 and may be purchased by calling 713.227.ARTS.

FREE Performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre: May 6-8 at 8 PM

Houston Ballet will give three free performances on May 6, 7, and 8 at 8 PM at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park.  The repertoire will include Christopher Bruce’s Hush and Stanton Welch’s Tu Tu and The Core. 

Performances are free and open to the public, but tickets must be picked up from the Miller Theatre Box Office to sit in the covered reserved section of the theatre.  Learn more about how to obtain tickets by visiting our website.  We hope to see you there!

Our life in pictures

Guest writer: Sarah Meals, marketing manager

Dear HB blog followers,

Please accept our humblest apologies for the lack of bloggage lately!  As you’ll see in this update, we’ve had our hands a bit full since the Prix de Lausanne.  Let’s get started…

In case you missed it, we announced our 2010-2011 season in late January.  We’re incredibly excited about the mix of premieres (like Balanchine’s Jewels) and tried-and-true fan favorites (like Ben Stevenson’s The Sleeping Beauty).  The ticketing department is in high gear taking subscription orders, while the marketing/PR department is already discussing the 2011-2012 season photo shoot.  It’s amazing (and stressful) to be working on three seasons at once!

We opened the world premiere of Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère on February 25 to packed houses and rousing applause.  By the end of the run, the dancers, artistic staff, production crew, and costume shop were completely exhausted, but incredibly pleased with the results.

Sara Webb, Connor Walsh, Nicholas Leschke, and Artists of Houston Ballet in La Bayadere. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

Snake handler Clint Pustejovsky congratulates his pal on a show well done. Photo by Mary Stephens of the Art Institute of Houston North.

On March 10, we held a topping off ceremony for our new Houston Ballet Center for Dance.  Patrons, staff, and dancers watched as the final steel beam was lifted by crane and drilled into place.  You can see some great images on the Houston Chronicle website, and watch a video documentary of the day on our YouTube channel.  Many thanks to all of you who attended and/or sent us well-wishes on Facebook.

Houston Ballet Center for Dance Topping Off Ceremony

Artistic director Stanton Welch leaves his mark on the final beam. Photo by Jim Caldwell.

Dancers Liao Xiang and Michael McGonegal (as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince) take in the view from the top of the Center for Dance. Photo by Jim Caldwell.

On March 11, we opened our winter mixed repertory program American at Heart, which included revivals of two fan favorites (Balanchine’s Apollo and Bruce’s Hush) and a Houston Ballet premiere of Robbins’s Fancy Free.  The rep really showed off the company’s versatility:  you can’t get two more different dance vocabularies than Apollo and Hush.

Kelly Myernick and Nicholas Leschke in Hush. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

Ian Casady and Artists of Houston Ballet in Fancy Free. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

 Next up is the Academy Spring Showcase, running April 16-17.  Our students are busily preparing their rep, including Stanton Welch’s Studies and Long and Winding Road.  This Friday, resident choreographer and principal dancer at Tulsa Ballet Ma Cong will be in town rehearsing his new ballet Calling, which will be premiered by our HBII students at the Spring Showcase.

Francesca Forcella and Nayon Iovino rehearsing Ma Cong's Calling. Photo by Mitch Walker.

Next week the professional company will take a much-needed break before diving into rehearsals for our final two productions of the season, Pecos and La Fille mal gardée.  All of the ballets are relatively lighthearted and witty, so hopefully fans and artists alike will end the season with a smile.

That’s a wrap for now!  Hope you enjoyed the photos and we look forward to sharing the rest of our spring season with you all.

Photo by Casey Ayala of the Art Institute of Houston North.