A Jerome Robbins gem gets top billing in the advertising. But each work in Houston Ballet’s “In the Night” program opens a window into the company and its history.
Dance artists are shaped by the work they dance, and the relationship between the dancer and the dance-maker is extremely potent when it comes to what we see on stage.
Julie Kent and Stanton Welch haven’t reached the point of finishing one another’s sentences. Nevertheless, just a few months after Kent joined Welch at the helm of Houston Ballet, they show clear signs of being in sync.
Think about classical ballet’s signature repertoire—The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella. Each of these canonic story ballets is drawn from a European folk tale or story, and set to music by a European composer. Is it time to ask, “what other stories can ballets tell?”
In the midst of its celebratory 50th anniversary season comprised entirely of works created for the company by world-renowned choreographers, Houston Ballet presents Forged in Houston March 12-21.
A 50th anniversary deserves a celebration. But what kind? Houston Ballet’s leaders looked back across the company’s history, starting before the 1969 debut of the company as we know it today.