Linnar Looris

For the first time in its 100-year history the Estonian National Ballet is coming to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre with a full-length classic production of Swan Lake. 

Last month, the Houston Ballet revived Ben Stevenson's DON QUIXOTE. And this month, as part of its community outreach, the company will present free performances of the production MAY 11, 2018 through 13, 2018 at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform MAYERLING. instead of the previously scheduled six performances, the ballet ran for four from September 22-24.

As re-imagined by Artistic Director Stanton Welch, the holiday classic pulses with new life and over-the-top theatrics reminiscent of 19th century production at its peak, but brought into the 21st by cutting-edge technology.

The current offering from the Houston Ballet, MADAME BUTTERFLY with SON OF CHAMBER SYMPHONY, is a study of contrasts - economy and luxury.

Since its debut in 1892, THE NUTCRACKER, based on E.T.A. Hoffman's 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,' has been a holiday staple, its music, by Romantic composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, ubiquitous. And, since 1987, Ben Stevenson's THE NUTCRACKER has been a Houston institution.

William Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is a comedic, character-driven piece about the courtship of volatile Katherina and obnoxious Petruchio. Character pieces require great characters, naturally, and great performers. In his ballet adaptation, John Cranko delivers. In the Houston Ballet production, so do the dancers.

BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER Is Sparkling Enchantment

HOUSTON, TEXAS - From November 28 - December 28, 2014, Houston Ballet celebrates the holidays with Ben Stevenson's breathtaking production of The Nutcracker, seen by over 1,000,000 people since its premiere 27 years ago. The beloved ballet tells the story of a little girl named Clara who is given a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. She encounters the frightful King Rat before embarking on a wondrous journey through the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. Young and old alike will experience the many special effects, including the Christmas tree which "grows" to 40 feet, 200 pounds of "snow" falling during the snow scene, and the firing of cannon onstage. Houston Ballet will give 35 performances of The Nutcracker, to a live orchestra, in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713-227-2787 or logging on to www.houstonballet.org.

From today, June 15-15, 2014, Houston Ballet will cap its 2013-14 season with Stanton Welch's vibrantly theatrical staging of Swan Lake, which he created for Houston Ballet in 2006.

From June 15-15, 2014, Houston Ballet will cap its 2013-14 season with Stanton Welch's vibrantly theatrical staging of Swan Lake, which he created for Houston Ballet in 2006. Set to the hauntingly beautiful Tchaikovsky score, Swan Lake tells the classic tale of Odette - a beautiful maiden transformed into a swan by an evil knight - and the prince who swears his enduring love for her. It's good and evil in black and white, danced on rich and spectacular sets by the late, great New Zealand designer Kristian Fredrikson. Houston Ballet will give nine performances of Swan Lake at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

Last night, Houston Ballet presented the American Premiere performance of David Bintley's spellbinding ALADDIN. The ballet, commissioned by National Ballet of Japan, had its World Premiere on November 15, 2008. For this opulent and mesmerizing theatrical treat, choreographer David Bintley pulls his inspiration from the original story; however, his ballet stills delivers everything fans of the 1992 Disney film expect from the story.

As a ballet, THE MERRY WIDOW is an adaptation of Franz Lehar's popular romantic operetta Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), which premiered in 1905. In the process of adapting the score for ballet, John Lanchbery and Alan Abott retained the style of Franz Lehar's orchestrations and included several of the well-known tunes from the operetta. Their score premiered in 1975 when The Australian Ballet, under the Musical Direction of John Lanchbery, produced the World Premiere production with choreography by Ronald Hynd and Scenario and Staging by Sir Robert Helpmann. This grandiose and radiant ballet of THE MERRY WIDOW had its Houston Ballet Premiere on September 17, 1995 in the Brown Theater. The Houston Ballet also performed it in 1999 and 2007. Now, in 2013, the lavish production is serving as Mireille Hassenboehler's gorgeous swan song and letter of admiration to the audiences of the Houston Ballet.

Houston Ballet is kicking off the summer with their resplendent production of JOURNEY WITH THE MASTERS. This amazing treat is made complete with thrilling dance compositions by three of the world's leading modern choreographers, George Balanchine, Ji?i Kylian, and Jerome Robbins. The three acts are vastly different from each other and superbly enchant audiences with their uniqueness.

There is no denying that the artistry of ballet revolves around creating mesmerizing visuals, whether it is lush lovely picturesque scenes or exhilarating 'stunt' work that appears to defy all the natural laws of gravity, human flexibility, and motion. In these regards, Houston Ballet's production of LA BAYADÈRE is a sumptuous feast of artistic ingenuity and elegance. However, the repetitious, staunch, and wholly austere European score by Ludwig Minkus as arranged by John Lanchbery and similarly repetitious and almost entirely classical ballet choreography by Stanton Welch, after Marius Petipa, left me wanting something different and something more. With all the references to Bollywood in the pre-production publicity, I expected to see and hear a lot more of the elements from my favorite cinematic genre than the production delivered.

The Houston Ballet organization is imbued with talent from top to bottom. Last year, they organized an event in which the dancers got to experiment and begin growing their own individual choreographic voices. Thursday, December 13, 2012 was their second event with this goal in mind. A small, invitation only audience was treated to an evening of fantastic talent on display in 14 world première ballets by names that are sure to leave a lasting impression on the world of dance.

Tonight, November 30, 2012, Houston Ballet presents its ninth annual Jubilee of Dance: A Tribute to Amy Fote, a special one-night only performance showcasing the talent and artistry of the company dancers in a program of high-energy excerpts from signature works and beloved classics. Houston Chronicle dance critic Molly Glentzer called the 2006 Jubilee of Dance "the event of the season," noting, "The audience gave it a rousing standing ovation." The Jubilee of Dance will be held at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

On Friday, November 30, 2012, Houston Ballet presents its ninth annual Jubilee of Dance: A Tribute to Amy Fote, a special one-night only performance showcasing the talent and artistry of the company dancers in a program of high-energy excerpts from signature works and beloved classics. Houston Chronicle dance critic Molly Glentzer called the 2006 Jubilee of Dance "the event of the season," noting, "The audience gave it a rousing standing ovation." The Jubilee of Dance will be held at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

The main purpose and goal of Houston Ballet's WOMEN@ART is to celebrate the ability of women to choreograph interesting, thought-provoking, and fully realized ballets. In 2004, Stanton Welch was met with fantastic success the first time he programmed three one-act ballets choreographed by women in his inaugural WOMEN@ART performance. The 2012 offering, complete with a World Premiere by Aszure Barton, will hopefully motivate and empower young girls and women interested in dance and choreography to follow their dreams while opening a dialogue about the value of female voices in the dance world.