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

Houston Ballet will receive $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts!

Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, today announced that Houston Ballet  has been approved for a grant of $50,000 to support the world premiere of a new work by the celebrated Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo and the American premiere of Christopher Bruce’s Grinning in Your Face, two works featured as part of the spring repertory program Raising the Barre, running May 26 – June 5, 2011.

Houston Ballet is one of 1,057 not-for-profit organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s first round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute $26.68 million to support projects nationwide.  An independent agency of the federal government, the National Endowment for the Arts advances artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. 

The National Endowment for the Arts has a generous two-decade history of supporting projects at Houston Ballet with substantial gifts.  Most recently in 2010, the NEA awarded Houston Ballet $50,000 for the company premieres of Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free and George Balanchine’s Ballo della Regina.  For more information on the National Endowment for the Arts, visit their web site at http://www.nea.gov/.

Join us for the 17th Annual Theater District Open House!

Guest writer: Sarah Meals, marketing manager

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon in downtown Houston, join us for the 17th Annual Theater District Open House on Sunday, August 29 from 12-4pm.  This event is great:  free food, free entertainment, and a great way to get to know Houston Ballet a little better!

Open House is a unique opportunity for patrons like you to go backstage in all of the theater district venues, meet the performers, watch free performances, and take advantage of some great ticket deals. Houston Ballet will be displaying costumes and props from the 2010-2011 season, and we will have costumed characters from The Nutcracker ready to take pictures with you.  There will even be a dress-up station for your little ones with real Houston Ballet costumes! 

Also, our professional training company Houston Ballet II will perform at 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm in the Cullen Theater of Wortham Theater Center. The performances are free and seating is first come, first served.

We hope to see you at this exciting event!

-Sarah

Blogging from the Road: The Kennedy Center Tour

Guest writer: Jim Nelson, general manager

Monday, June 14
One hour after the curtain fell on Sunday afternoon’s matinee of La Fille mal gardée, sixteen dancers (including the Sunday performance leads Connor Walsh and Melody Herrera), artistic director Stanton Welch, ballet mistress Louise Lester, and Maestro Ermanno Florio headed to IAH to catch the last flight to D.C. to participate in The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America II festival which opens tomorrow. 

Houston Ballet will kick off the festival with Stanton Welch’s gorgeous ballet Falling.  Also on the program is The Suzanne Farrell Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theatre.

Houston Ballet was included in the inaugural festival in 2008, and we’re thrilled to be asked back for round two.  The Kennedy Center describes the festival as “an exploration of the breadth and depth of the art form, showcasing companies from across the nation.”  Other ballet companies participating in the festival include Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Memphis, Tulsa Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet.

Today the dancers are loosening up with a class with Louise Lester, and they will have the remainder of the day to explore D.C. and to rest.  Maestro is rehearsing The Kennedy Center Orchestra and production manager Brian Walker and lighting designer Lisa Pinkham are focusing lights and preparing cues.  Tomorrow is jam-packed with class, dress rehearsal and the opening performance.

The festival is a shining example of the terrific programming The Kennedy Center presents.  The lineup allows dance-goers to see nine great companies over three nights with diverse rep from nine different choreographers such as Balanchine, Duato, Elo, Millipied, Welch and others.  It’s also a great opportunity for the dancers participating in the festival to interact with each other. Houston Ballet dancers will have the opportunity to take class with the dancers from the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theatre companies during the three days we’re here.

Tuesday, June 15
The dancers have their one rehearsal on The Kennedy Center stage from 2:30-3:30, and it’s their first time to dance Falling with The Kennedy Center Orchestra.  They have just enough time to run the ballet once, go back and correct a few tempos and spacing and re-run problem sections.  Stanton and Louise give the dancers a few notes and then release them for the afternoon.  Houston Ballet is first on the program, and the theater is absolutely packed.  Tonight’s awesome cast is Ian Casady and Melody Herrera, Peter Franc and Amy Fote, Nao Kusuzaki and Chris Coomer, Elise Judson and Joe Walsh, and Connor Walsh and Kelly Myernick.

I’m always struck by the D.C. audience.  They are well informed dance-goers, and they are so responsive.  In some parts of the world, the audience is extremely quiet throughout the ballet—they do not respond to solos or pas de deux sections, and it’s not until the ballet is concluded that you can judge the audience’s reaction.  D.C., like Houston, is on the other end of the spectrum, and they enjoy responding immediately and generously.  Tonight is no exception, and the audience cheers the Houston dancers on throughout the ballet and resoundingly at the end of the ballet.  The bravos and multiple curtain calls are reflected in the dancers’ beaming faces.

-Jim

Photos from dress rehearsal:

Dancers Connor Walsh and Kelly Myernick

Dancer Melody Herrera

Ballet mistress Louise Lester, Maestro Ermanno Florio, and The Kennedy Center Orchestra

Dancers Connor Walsh (left) and Joe Walsh (right)

Left to right: lighting designer Lisa Pinkham, artistic director Stanton Welch, and ballet mistress Louise Lester

Fond memories of dancing the funky chicken

Artists of Houston Ballet in La Fille mal gardée. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

 

Guest writer: Katie Arnold, public relations intern

As a former dance student with Houston Ballet, I have to say it is very exciting to return to my dance home as a public relations intern this summer. Houston Ballet was a great, creative environment as a dancer, and now I am learning more from this wonderful organization through my internship. I am very proud to be a Houston Ballet alumna. 

It is definitely interesting to be on the administrative side, rather than the dance side. When I heard that La Fille mal gardée was returning, I was ecstatic. This is one of my favorites, and I was actually in the ballet the last time the company performed it. I was one of the dancing chickens! You may think that dancing like a chicken is easy, but you would be surprised. Thankfully, I had the help of ballet master Steven Woodgate to prepare me and the other chicks for this very entertaining role.

For those Academy students who are performing the role of chicken these next two weekends, good luck and stay away from Widow Simone!

 -Katie

Getting to know demi soloist Michelle Carpenter

Guest writer:  Melissa Seuffert

Demi soloist Michelle Carpenter, a Mission Viejo, California native, joined Houston Ballet in 2002 after training at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy.  Since being promoted to demi soloist in 2007, Ms. Carpenter has landed a number of soloist roles in ballets, including Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère and Falling.  Here she tells us a little more about herself:

What age did you start dancing?  Did you always love ballet?
I started “dancing” when I was 3 (if you can call it dancing at that age).  I have been dancing for as long as I can remember.  I didn’t start liking ballet until I was probably 10.  I did a lot of jazz and gymnastics.

When did you know you wanted dancing to be your career?
I think I always knew I wanted to be a dancer.  It’s every girl’s dream, and I’m so lucky to have achieved it.

What is your favorite part about being on stage? Do you have a ritual before going on stage?
I feel at home on stage. I love performing for audiences; it’s such a thrill to be out there, baring all for all to see. I don’t really have a ritual before going on stage.

Do you have a favorite moment in your dance career?
My favorite moment was getting an apprenticeship with Houston Ballet.

Do you have a favorite Houston Ballet moment?
Our 2009 tour to Spain was amazing. It was an amazing experience.

What is your most memorable role? Why?
I love dancing Snow Queen in The Nutcracker. Each year I have a different partner (sometimes multiple partners) to dance with. It’s a difficult role that is very rewarding.

What is your favorite time of the ballet season?
The Nutcracker.
We are dancing and performing a lot. Every night you are dancing something different.

What aspects of dance do you find most satisfying?
Performing and have a feeling of accomplishment after a tough role.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Names?
I have a cat named Lilly, a puggle (pug/beagle mix) named Bella, and a boxer named Sage.

What is your favorite thing to do in Houston? Do you have a favorite restaurant?
I enjoy taking my dogs to the dog park to play. They love to swim and fetch balls. My favorite restaurants are Chuy’s, Blue Fish House, Bombay Brasserie, and Mission Burrito. I really enjoy cooking at home too. I love tackling new and interesting recipes.

Childhood ambition?
To be a dancer and have a family.

Fondest memory?
Christmases at home with family.

Proudest moment?
Getting a job at Houston Ballet.

Favorite movie?
Anchorman, Billy Madison, Zoolander, Wedding Crashers, Eurotrip…anything funny.

Favorite book?
I just read the Twilight series and loved it. I also liked I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb and Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald.

Favorite TV show?
Top Chef, Design Star, anything on the Food Network, Project Runway, Biggest Loser, Scrubs.

Favorite food?
I can’t live without Mexican food!

Michelle Carpenter in rehearsal. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

Off to the Races

Guest writer: Andrew Edmonson, director of marketing and public relations

Houston Ballet’s dancers are leaping towards the conclusion of our 2009-2010 season.  Instead of a leisurely stroll around the home stretch, the company is engaged in an all-out sprint to the finish line on June 20, performing seven ballets, in three venues, in two different states, over the next seven weeks. 

First up on the calendar is an annual rite of spring for the company:  three free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre Friday, May 7 – Sunday, May 9.   This year, Stanton has put together a stellar program that showcases the contemporary side of the company’s repertoire:  Nacho Duato’s modern classic Jardí Tancat  (literal translation:  Enclosed Garden), set to the haunting Spanish folk songs of  Marie del Mar Bonet; Twyla Tharp’s groundbreaking work In the Upper Room that takes its audience on an exalted journey from earth to a more transcendent space; and Stanton’s beautifully classical work for five couples to the music of Mozart, Falling.   Take a peak at Stanton’s Falling on Youtube. 

From May 27 – June 6, the company returns to Wortham Theater Center to present Pecos, a mixed repertory program featuring the company premiere of George Balanchine’s Ballo della Regina.  A very special style is required to perform Balanchine’s works.   Our dancers have been blessed to be taught and coached in Ballo by the legendary American ballerina Merrill Ashley, who not only had the good fortune to work with Balanchine from 1967 to 1983, but also created the leading female role in Ballo in 1978. 

“Balanchine always seemed to take special delight in challenging me with difficult steps, and since he knew I excelled at moving quickly, he decided to make that the feature of Ballo – virtuoso steps at high speed,” commented Ms. Ashley.  “He highlighted all my strengths in Ballo, giving me a ballet that not only was challenging and fun to dance, but one that gave me the opportunity to communicate the joy of dance, which was my favorite mood to express on stage. Ballo epitomizes the essence of the technique that he advocated, as it requires extreme precision, clarity, speed, and expansive movement. Dancers who are not trained in the Balanchine style are always startled to find how much easier the steps are when they use the technique Balanchine advocated. His choreography is constructed with the idea that the steps will be done as he would have taught them. That is what makes the angles of the steps look best, and what makes the transitions from step-to-step possible at high speeds.”

For more information on Ms. Ashley and her amazing career, read a 1997 interview with her in The New York Times discussing her special link to Balanchine, and the 1997 review of her final performance with New York City Ballet detailing so many of the qualities that audience adored about her.

A very different balletic style is required to perform the works of Sir Frederick Ashton, whose 1960 masterpiece La Fille mal gardée closes Houston Ballet’s season on June 10-20.  The English critic Alastair Macaulay has observed, “The ballet style shown in Ashton’s ballets is a particularly intricate one, with upper and lower body maintaining a lively activity, and many internal embellishments of head, arms, épaulement and footwork.”  Two experts in the Ashton style have been in Houston helping our dancers to prepare to perform Fille:  Englishman Christopher Carr, a former dancer and ballet master with London’s Royal Ballet, and Australian Grant Coyle, principal dance notator to The Royal Ballet.

There will be no rest for the weary.  The weekend after Fille opens, ten Houston Ballet dancers will hop on a plane to Washington, D.C. to perform Stanton’s work, Falling, for the prestigious national ballet festival, Ballet Across America II, at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Houston Ballet was a part of the very successful first installment of Ballet Across America in 2008 and is very happy to make its 8th appearance at The Kennedy Center.  Houston Ballet opens the festival Tuesday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 16 on a program with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theatre.

Then the ten dancers who performed in Ballet Across America will rush back to Houston for the final four performances of Fille June 18 – 20.  And then, it’s off to a very well-deserved long summer break for most of the company. 

-Andrew

Working with Choreographer Ma Cong: A Q & A with Madison Morris

Guest writer: Sarah Lam, public relations intern

Ma Cong, Tulsa Ballet resident choreographer and principal dancer, has swiftly risen to become one of America’s most exciting choreographers. He has created many works for Tulsa Ballet and received various awards including 1st prize and Audience Favorite in the 21^st Century Choreographic Competition in 2008. Recently, he choreographed an original piece for Houston Ballet II. We chatted with Houston Ballet II dancer Madison Morris to find out about what it was like working with Cong and get the scoop on his new work they will unveil at their Academy Spring Showcase, April 16-17.

How long have you been dancing with Houston Ballet’s Academy?
Five years.

I understand that a choreographer traveled to Houston to create a new piece for Houston Ballet II. Can you tell me about that
Sure. Ma Cong came to Houston in the fall, before The Nutcracker, to work on setting a piece for us. Then he came back for 3 days at the end of March to clean it up, fine-tune, and finish it.

What’s the piece called?
It’s called Calling.

When is it going to be performed?
In our Spring Showcase this Friday and Saturday. Also, when we tour Germany April 21-27 for five shows.

Had you seen any of Cong’s work before he arrived in Houston
We were all curious and looked on YouTube, but it was still difficult to know what to expect because some of his work was on flat, some on pointe. One thing that I noticed that was so unique about his pieces was the music he used.

What music is Calling set to?
It’s set to music by Goran Bregovic and Kroke. He told us he heard it on Chinese iTunes and was struck by inspiration!

What is Calling about?
Good question! It goes through a lot of different emotions. The first movement is very dramatic and sets the mood. The second act is more fun and playful. He told us it’s more of a flamenco feel. Then the third movement is back to serious and dramatic but at the end it shifts into a very fast pace.

So it’s a modern piece?
Yes. We’re not in pointe shoes. We wear ballet flats.

How many dancers is it choreographed for?
Three girls and three boys. The first movement is mainly about the boys then the girls come on later.

What would you say is unique about Calling?
It’s a really unique style and really fun to learn. Actually, it reminded me of a piece we danced last year called Journey. It’s fun to dance something in a style that’s different from classical ballet–more modern with different movement.

What makes Calling challenging to dance?
The hardest part is having the stamina. Two of the couples are on stage the whole piece, so about 10-12 minutes. It’s pretty exhausting. You have to rehearse the piece daily to keep it in the body. What I’m really looking forward to is seeing it with our costumes. We have these long, flowy skirts to wear that we make shapes with.

Was this the first time you had ever worked with the original choreographer of a piece, and how is it a different experience?
Yes. For me this was the first time working with a choreographer that was creating something specifically for Houston Ballet II. Most of the time we’re learning second-hand from a video. When you learn from a video, each dancer may have a different spin on the piece. When you work with the original choreographer, it’s a clean slate from the beginning. With Cong we were able to really see exactly how he wanted it done.

Did having Cong in the studio with you make the process more challenging?
It’s exciting, and it’s also better because you can ask questions. Overall it was fun because it was my first time working with a guest choreographer, and it was great to be a part of the process and help create the ballet. 

You can see Ms. Morris dance in Ma Cong’s Calling and other works in the upcoming Academy Spring Showcase, April 16-17.

Madison Morris stretching before rehearsal. Photo by Mitch Walker.