Houston Ballet opens with Return of the Masters

Houston Ballet will kick off the 2011-2012 season with Return of the Masters, a program showcasing three stunning works that have been absent from our repertoire for too long! We’re thrilled to bring back Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, Jerome Robbins’s In the Night and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. Artistic Director Stanton Welch shares his thoughts and a little background information on each of the ballets here.

Enjoy these beautiful photos from our archives and definitely check out our photo gallery for more! Return of the Masters opens Thursday,  September 8 and runs through September 18.

Li Cunxin, Janie Parker & Gregg Garrett in Song of the Earth p. Geoff Winningham

Mireille Hassenboehler & Susan Bryant in Les Patineurs p. Geoff Winningham

Janie Parker & Li Cunxin in Jerome Robbins's In the Night p. Geoff Winningham

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