Recap from Joyce Theater Tour

Guest writer: Soloist Nao Kusuzaki

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh
There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York
New York, New York
                                                -Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z

Principal dancer Melody Mennite at the Joyce.
Photo by Jessica Collado.

With an Empire State of mind, we arrived in New York. It was Houston Ballet’s return to the city after a 26 year break.  We had seven shows to be performed at the Joyce Theater.

 The program of Falling Angels, ONE/end/ONE, and Hush fit magically well in the intimate, 472 seat, art-deco theater. Personally, it was a joy to find my friend who drove down from Boston in the second row cheering me on. In the dressing room post-performance, dancers shared who they saw out there and the true, up-close reaction they witnessed as the show progressed.

View photos from the tour here.

This tour to NYC was a transcendental one, and it may be my imagination, but I sensed unusually strong curiosity from New Yorkers.  It was beautifully balanced with Houston patrons, friends, and families who took the time to visit the Joyce for this occasion.

Stanton also reminded us of the significance in his “chookas” card (a note he always writes to the company on opening night):

We are the first company to perform Kylian’s Falling Angels in Manhattan. Last time, the original Netherlands Dance Theater performed it at B.A.M in Brooklyn.  And the other two pieces, ONE/end/ONE and Hushare tailor-made to Houston Ballet personalities. This program is uniquely us…

The house was filled each night, and the response was extremely positive…minus a few critics, though strong opinions aren’t necessarily bad, in my opinion.  Through experiencing the audience on stage, I sensed it exceeded their Tex-pectations.

The Joyce staff was impressed with the quality and the consistency of our performances–a huge compliment.  And there is something very special about the Joyce.  After practically living there for a week, I’ve decided it was the lively staff.  They seemed thrilled to be working there and seeing us perform. Even though they’re exposed to dance companies from around the globe–over 270 companies since its inception in 1982–they welcomed us like their family.  The stage manager, Sharonica, was the first connection I made.  Not only was she more than excited to see the show, but she was always available.  Her response was “I can help you with that” followed by a huge smile.  As the days went on, I felt the same attitude from all. It was obvious they were proud to be working there.  After all, the Joyce was created by dancers for dance, and over the years it’s become one of the premiere venues for the art form.

I was charmed to find the Joyce was formerly the Elgin Theater, a 1941 movie house. It was then closed by the community when this revival movie house became a pornographic movie theater. The architect, Hardy Hugh, rescued the place, and after a two year renovation it became the Joyce we know today.

Now we’re back in Houston, tougher and more inspired.  We are in preparation for The Nutcracker and Jubilee of Dance. I’m especially looking forward to seeing this evolving group of artists in motion this holiday season.

Keeping in mind the Empire State of Mind, I go back to plié.

-Nao

Off to the Joyce!

Houston Ballet is currently performing for the first time at The Joyce Theater in New York from October 11-16. What will the lucky New York audiences get to see? Jorma Elo’s innovative ONE/end/ONE, Christopher Bruce’s Hush and Jiří Kylián’s Falling Angels. ONE/end/ONE and Hush were both created on Houston Ballet dancers and Falling Angels, set to Steve Reich Drumming, showcases the incredible talent of the women of Houston Ballet. It’s truly a must see. If you’ve had the opportunity to see these fantastic ballets, you know New York is in for a real treat!

And while there’s nothing like seeing Houston Ballet on stage, here are some clips that offer a little taste of the pieces on tour: Hush, ONE/end/ONE and Falling Angels.

 

HBII Touring Update from Guatemala and the U.S. Midwest

Guest writer: Jim Nelson, general manager

We are in the home stretch of Houston Ballet II’s fall touring schedule.

Earlier this month, Houston Ballet II gave two performances in Guatemala City at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin. The program featured Stanton Welch’s Long and Winding Road and Blue, Ma Cong’s Calling (created on HBII last season), and Claudio Muñoz’s staging of Act III of Raymonda. The dancers performed beautifully for the two packed performances and were received warmly by the audience. After the first performance, a dinner was held in the company’s honor given by our presenter—Geraldina Baca Spross and her board of directors. Following the second performance, the dancers were congratulated by Stephen McFarland, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, on their tremendous performance, and he thanked Houston Ballet for the outreach activities conducted during HBII’s time in Guatemala.

Ballet master Claudio Munoz teaching a master class in Guatemala

Luckily, we had the very good fortune to be able to fit in an excursion to the ancient former capital of Guatemala, Antigua. The dancers spent the morning learning about Antigua and visiting ruins and restored structures before heading back to Guatemala City for their second performance.

We’re now nearly finished with the 7-performance, 5-city tour of the Midwest, and this hasn’t been a leisurely tour for anyone. With the exception of Kansas City, each location required some significant travel. We left Houston on October 25 and flew to Kansas City. Production manager Brian Walker and I each drove a 15 passenger van filled with dancers and costumes to our first stop in Springfield, Missouri. After a full day of travel, the dancers had an evening class to get their bodies ready for the next day, which involved a 10:00 am student performance followed by a short rehearsal and an evening performance. We performed at a terrific venue called the Juanita K. Hammons Hall on the campus of the Missouri State University to an extremely responsive audience. It was a great performance and a great way to kick off the Midwest tour.

On October 27, we traveled to Emporia, Kansas for Stop #2. In retrospect, I question the wisdom of relying on Google Maps for navigation. We drove for four hours without seeing much of anything other than cows and farmland. It was two lane roads with no gas stations, no fast food, and not a rest stop in sight. The dancers cheered when we pulled up to a Subway about an hour outside of Emporia.

Our view for most of the tour.

The Emporia performance was on the campus of Emporia State University at Albert Taylor Hall, and the dancers were very warmly received. I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the dedication of the presenting organizations who have booked Houston Ballet II. For a city like Emporia with a population of 26,000 people, I’m encouraged to see arts presenters bringing dance to their communities. The dancers performed a student show on Friday morning before making the two hour drive to Kansas City.

Kansas City was well positioned in the middle of the tour and on Halloween weekend. The dancers enjoyed being in a bit larger city with more food options and with a fraction more free time than the previous two cities. They also raved about their sleep number beds! The afternoon that we arrived, Claudio led a master class at Kansas City Ballet. All of the HBII dancers attended, along with the top level students of Kansas City Ballet.

Ballet master Claudio Munoz teaching a master class at Kansas City Ballet. Photo courtesy of William Jewell.

For the Kansas City engagement, Houston Ballet principal dancers Mireille Hassenboehler and Jun Shuang Huang joined HBII to perform The Sleeping Beauty pas de deux and the lead roles of Raymonda and Jean de Brienne in Raymonda, Act III. I could tell how excited the young dancers were to be performing with our principals, and it was a spectacular performance. Academy director Shelly Power also joined us for Kansas City. Thanks Shelly for the making the trip to support HBII!

On Sunday, we flew from Kansas City to Chicago and Chicago to Duluth, Minnesota. Then we drove an hour and a half from Duluth to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is the smallest town on the tour with a population of 8,000. It was a great surprise a few weeks ago to learn that one of our former HBII dancers, Daniel Blake, is now heading the dance program at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids. Daniel and his wife Julia hosted a post-performance party at their home for the HBII dancers.

Today we’re traveling to Winona, Minnesota for the last city in our Midwest tour. It’s a long trek to Winona, and I know the dancers will be glad to get a good night’s sleep before their final show at the Page Theater on the campus of St. Mary’s University.

This year marks the most ambitious touring schedule ever for Houston Ballet II, and having seen every performance so far, I’m thrilled to report that the effort has paid off. Dancers need performances to grow as artists, and these opportunities are golden in developing young dancers. The level of responsibility we’re giving these 16-19 year old dancers is huge, and they have truly risen to the occasion. The next time you see one of the HBII dancers, please give them a word of congratulations for representing Houston Ballet so well.

-Jim

Update from St. Louis Tour

Guest writer: Jim Nelson, general manager (blog written on Saturday, October 9)

The company is here in St. Louis performing a triple bill featuring Stanton’s Falling, George Balanchine’s Apollo, and Christopher Bruce’s Hush.  We’re performing at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri St. Louis.

Over the past decade, we’ve really focused on deepening the impact our tours have on the cities we travel to through the addition of master classes, pre-performance lectures, student performances, and direct interaction with local dance communities.

In conjunction with the three public performances here in St. Louis, we have presented a student matinee, a master class led by ballet mistress Louise Lester, pre-performance talks with company dancers, and we are participating in a three week teaching residency.

Yesterday’s student matinee was the culmination of the multileveled outreach effort.   Many of the students attending the performance are also participating in the residency program.  Former Houston Ballet soloist Sandra (Sandy) Organ-Solis and former Houston Ballet principal dancer Kristine (Krissy) Richmond are the featured teaching artists in the three-week residency that began two weeks before the company’s arrival and will continue through next week.

The program reaches more than 300 under-served middle and high school students at urban schools and community centers.  Krissy and Sandy have been teaching five days per week and have focused on dance technique relating to our performances as well as the history of modern dance, improvisation, collaboration, and healthy life styles for dancers.  

At yesterday’s student matinee, I was backstage with the dancers, and at one point during Hush the students in the audience exploded in spontaneous rhythmic clapping to the music—something we’ve never experienced in performances of Hush.  It was a great moment of connection between our dancers and the children in the audience, and it’s a perfect example of the magic of live theater.   After the performance, I met a few of the students as they were heading back to their busses and I asked one little girl what her favorite part was, and without hesitation her face lit up and she said “everything was my favorite!” 

The company’s opening performance was brilliantly danced and was received with screams of bravos and extended curtain calls.   It’s such a pleasure to share our beautiful artists with audiences outside of Houston—I have such a gratifying job!

This morning, the company is taking class with Dance St. Louis’ artistic director Michael Uthoff.   We have two more performances today and return to Houston tomorrow.

You can see photos from the tour on our Flickr site.

-Jim

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

Germany Tour Update

It is with great disappointment that we announce the cancellation of HBII’s tour to Schweinfurt and Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, previously scheduled for April 21-27.  As most of you know, the ash cloud in Iceland has cancelled most flights to and from Europe, and they won’t be able to reschedule our staff and dancers soon enough to make their scheduled performances.

Send us good karma and great vibes that we can reschedule a bigger and better overseas tour for next year!

Blogging from the Road: HBII’s Tour to Germany

Guest writer:  Jim Nelson, general manager

It is so gratifying to look back over the past few years and see the growth of our second company, Houston Ballet II (HBII).

While so many dance companies say they have a second company, when you look closely they are generally a group of upper level students who sometimes dance with the first company in larger productions like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty.  Rarely are these junior companies giving their own fully-produced performances in professional venues. 

That is what sets Houston Ballet’s second company apart from the majority of dance companies around the globe.  In 2006, we took a leap of faith that our second company was ready to give public performances that had less of a graduation concert feel or educational/outreach focus.  Our first season on the road included a terrific trip to Monterrey, Mexico as part of the Extremadura Gran Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea.  Since 2006, HBII has performed internationally in Hungary and China as well as nationally in Louisiana, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.  Additionally, HBII performs regularly in Houston at Wortham Theater Center, Discovery Green, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the Moores School of Music at The University of Houston.

From April 18-28, I’ll be accompanying HBII to Germany for a five-performance, two-city tour.  We’re traveling with 12 dancers, ballet master Claudio Muñoz, and production manager Brian Walker.  We will give four performances in Schweinfurt and one performance in Villingen-Schwenningen.  We fly from Houston to Frankfurt and then bus to Schweinfurt.  The repertoire for this tour is Stanton Welch’s Long and Winding Road and Blue, Garrett Smith’s Den III, and Claudio Muñoz’s staging of excerpts from Raymonda (Act III).  And while the dancers are all quite young (16-18), there is nothing junior or watered down when these dancers take the stage.

This tour is a real milestone for HBII, and I’m terribly proud of all they have achieved.  The touring component is only one part of the HBII program, but it serves us in providing additional performance opportunities, expanding our national and international presence, and attracting the best dancers we can find to Houston Ballet and the Houston Ballet Academy.  The success of the program is the result of the great work of the Houston Ballet Academy, which is led by Stanton Welch, Shelly Power and ballet masters Claudio Muñoz and Sabrina Lenzi.  I don’t know of another second company that has the level of dancers we do:  three Prix de Lausanne finalists (including a winner) in a group of twelve dancers!

I’ll be sending photo updates and blogs from overseas.  Follow us while we embark on this great adventure!

-Jim

Houston Chronicle article on Spain tour

The Houston Chronicle ran a story over the weekend about Houston Ballet’s tour to Spain, if you want to take a look.