18th Annual Theater District Open House

Guest Writer: Kim Espinosa, public relations associate

Ever wondered what the scenery and costumes from your favorite ballets look like up close? Or maybe you have imagined standing on Wortham Theater Center stage, looking out into the seemingly endless rows of seats?

You have your chance to do just that (and much more!) from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 28 at the 18th Annual Theater District Open House. Houston’s nine major performing arts groups will open their doors throughout the Theater District and offer backstage tours, great deals on subscription packages, performances and other fun-filled activities.

A young Theater District Open House attendee tries on a costume from Houston Ballet's costume trunk. Photo: Zuzana Leckova/Art Institute of Houston-North

Backstage at Wortham Theater Center. Photo: Zuzana Leckova/Art Institute of Houston-North

Don’t miss Houston Ballet II’s performances of movements from Jorge Garcia’s Majisimo, Stanton Welch’s A Time to Dance along with a beautiful pas de deux from Sylvia. You can catch them at 12:15 p.m. and 1:45 p.m.in the Cullen Theater in Wortham Theater Center.  The entire day of events, including performances is FREE! See you there!

Houston Ballet II dancers Liana Carpio & Chunwai Chan perform Ben Stevenson's Sylvia. Photo: Amitava Sarkar

 

Corps Member and Choreographer Garrett Smith’s Work to be Performed at Jubilee of Dance

Guest writer: Lorena Capellan, PR intern

Each year Houston Ballet performs the Jubilee of Dance, a one-night-only gala performance of audience favorites and dancer showcases.  This year’s Jubilee of Dance, held on December 3, will feature the second movement of Garrett Smith’s Vivacious Dispositions.  A corps de ballet member with Houston Ballet, Mr. Smith is a burgeoning young choreographer whose work has already been performed in the United States and abroad.  I had a chance to chat with him about his work and what it means to him for his choreography to be featured in a Houston Ballet performance.

LC:  What inspired you to create this piece? Is there a story/meaning behind it?
GS:  The music is what inspired me because there is something special and unique about Baroque music.  The distinct harpsichord accompanied by the dramatic strings act like the bass of a modern pop song.  Vivaldi has a way of bringing dramatic sound to the strings with the heavy and pounding beat that intensifies but is also playful.  When I hear his cello concertos in a minor key, I relate so well to the dark and mysterious tones.  Also, the liveliness and vivacious energy you feel when listening to the music of his double cello concerto immediately draws me in, making my body move which inspires contemporary movement.

LC:  How did you pick the music? Is it a piece you always wanted to choreograph to?
GS:  I was searching for cello concertos, mainly works composed by Antonio Vivaldi when choosing music for this piece.  I was actually on YouTube when I first heard his double concerto in G minor.  I loved it! I played the music over and over, that whole night.

LC:  What essence or mood were you trying to capture with your choreography?
GS:  There were specific moods I wanted to capture through the three different movements, or “dispositions”.  The first movement was first created when I heard “La Nolte,” which means “The Night.”  This was a very fast and energetic flute concerto by Vivaldi and was meant to be the “Vivacious” disposition.  It is full of energy with a hint of flirt and dramatics.  The ideas were mainly about vivacious personality or energy.  The second movement was inspired by a calm beautiful oboe concerto.  This dance happens first as a pas de deux between a man and a woman.  It also represents a calm, shy, expressive, and more intimate disposition.  The last movement is inspired and created from the music itself, Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto in G minor. The music says it all: power, playful, friendly, expressive, and positive.  This music just makes me want to dance!   For the Jubilee of Dance, we’ll be performing the second slower movement.

LC:  How was it choreographing on your fellow company members?  Did you pick the cast?  If yes, why did you pick who you did?
GS:  Choreographing on my fellow company members was a huge treat.  I really had no limitations.  The talent in this company is crazy!  I did select a certain few dancers from pieces I had choreographed in the past because I am a big fan of their movement and versatility.  I also picked some others I had not yet had a chance to work with yet.  I was very anxious to work with them because I knew they would bring my ideas to life without words.

LC:  Were there any unanticipated challenges?
GS:  There were of course challenges here and there.  Sometimes I get a crazy idea or lifts in my head that are almost impossible, so I recreated them in rehearsals and changed the vision a little.  This cost time, but I grew from the experience and any other challenge I faced.

LC:  What does it mean to you for an excerpt to be performed on the Brown Theater with the professional company?
GS:  For me to have an excerpt from my choreography on the Brown Theater stage for the very first time is some of the most exciting news Stanton could have told me this season.  The Brown Theater stage is massive.  I am so excited to have my work on such a great stage so the dancers can utilize all the space and let the movement really come to life as they dance this again.  It really is a big step for me to have the opportunity of using this professional venue to show the viewers the second movement of Vivacious Dispositions on this stage at the gala.  I think the most exciting part of this opportunity is it gives my mom and dad a good reason to fly here to see my choreography!  They have never seen Houston Ballet perform, and have never been in the Brown Theater.  I’m so happy that they will be here to see an important first moment for me.

-Lorena

The Rat Stanley Project

Guest writer: Sarah Meals, marketing manager

If you have kids or nieces/nephews, I’m sure you’re familiar with the “Flat Stanley Project.”  Started in 1995 by a Canadian elementary school teacher, the Flat Stanley Project involved school children creating a two-dimensional cutout of a little man, then mailing him to friends and family members, who would take pictures of Flat Stanley around the city they lived in.  Stanley would be passed from family member to family member until eventually Flat Stanley made his way back to the original owner with the photos of where he had traveled.

We at Houston Ballet are very familiar with the Flat Stanley idea.  Many of our ballerina mommies and daddies have taken stuffed animals (or other assorted toys) on tour with them, and documented their travels with said objects.  Former principal dancer Barbara Bears took “Teen Titan Robin” on our 2009 Spain tour for her little boy Ethan.

Teen Titan Robin boarding Air France

One day, as I was having lunch with some pals from Schipul the Web Marketing Company (thanks Michael and Katie!), we brainstormed the idea of Rat Stanley.  How funny would it be for a rat from our production of The Nutcracker to “travel” around the world via our Facebook fans?  The possibilities are endless!  The rat on the Great Wall of China, the rat in front of the Taj Mahal…maybe I’m getting carried away.  But the rat is just so darn cute, who wouldn’t want to tuck him in their pocket and take his picture?

I have a confession to make…this project did present a special perk for me.  Since I began working for Houston Ballet I’ve had a dream to be a rat for just one day.  Thank goodness our costume shop played along and let me use the costume for a very quick photo shoot around Houston so I could show you “samples” of good Rat Stanley pictures.  After two hours of sweating in the costume, I can safely say I will never repeat the process again.  But it’s one more thing to be checked off my bucket list!

Photo by Zuzana Leckova of Art Institute of Houston North

So here’s how it’s going to work:

1) Visit this link and download your very own Rat Stanley (don’t forget to cut him out!).  When you get to the landing page, click the “download the large size of this photo” link toward the top of the page.

2) Take pictures of your Rat Stanley in front of well-known tourist attractions in your city.

3) Submit your favorite image (one only, please!) to me, Sarah Meals, at houstonballet1@yahoo.com with the subject “Rat Stanley Project.”  Also include your full name and a brief description of your Rat Stanley’s backdrop in the email.  The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 17 at 12pm Central.

4) Houston Ballet staff will narrow down the submissions to ten semi-finalists.  The semi-finalists will be posted to Houston Ballet’s Facebook page by Saturday, December 18, where our Facebook fans will vote for their favorite by “liking” the picture. 

5) The photo with the most likes by Monday, December 27 at 12pm Central will be declared the winner.  The winner will receive a Houston Ballet poster signed by the company, as well as a pair of pointe shoes signed by principal dancer Mireille Hassenboehler.

We are SO looking forward to seeing all of your photos, and thanks for participating!

-Sarah

What Houston Ballet Center for Dance Means to Me

 

Houston Ballet Center for Dance - June 19, 2010. Photo by Zuzana Leckova of Art Institute of Houston North.

Guest writer: Nao Kusuzaki, soloist

The creation of Houston Ballet Center for Dance is undeniably a significant step forward in Houston Ballet history. It is a rebirth, a new beginning, and I’m proud to be a part of this generation of Houston Ballet. Through the process of planning, discussing, and witnessing the growth of our baby by day has brought our HB family closer—not just the dancers, but the entire organization as one super-family. 

And this facility, created strictly FOR dance, is a dream home for dancers.  It will not only be brand new, but more importantly, it will be an environment of inspiration.  Inside this beautiful design, the studios will be a blank canvas where we can let our creative energy flow freely, where we will paint with our individual blend of colors.  It’s an ideal space where we can keep evolving as artists.  The well thought-out, state of the art facility will allow the dancers and staff to work efficiently and productively, creatively and obsessively.

Houston Ballet Center for Dance - June 19, 2010. Photo by Zuzana Leckova of Art Institute of Houston North.

In the community, the Houston Ballet Center for Dance will become a landmark hub for the dance and performing arts.  The location can’t be any better than this. The Center for Dance will be the gateway into the city of Houston.

The installation of the black box theater will provide opportunities for Houston Ballet to hold more informal showcases, as well as performances for Houston Ballet II.  The community will be able to rent the space, and we can welcome more guest companies.  How fortunate is Houston to have this space—a creative gathering spot where artists and fans of dance from all walks of life can exchange ideas.  I can see Houston Ballet and the performing arts community evolving and growing with the Center for Dance. 

Carl Jung once said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” The Houston Ballet Center for Dance is the realization of the figures imagined by a team of Houston Ballet supporters.  Within this handsome facility will always be artists working to sculpt their images, to make emotions into motions, and to unleash energy to make art come to life.  This place of enlightenment is soon to make its debut from the dark, and it’s thrilling to be a part of this significant step forward.

-Nao