My annual trek to the nation's great dance mecca, Jacob's Pillow, is never without a little Texas love, which started with Trey McIntyre's big good-bye.
Texas Ballet companies conclude their seasons with vintage warhorses: Swan Lake, at Texas Ballet Theater, May 30-June 1, and Houston Ballet, June 5-15; and The Sleeping Beauty, at Ballet Austin, May 9-11.
When I witnessed Samantha Lynch catapulting across the stage at Houston Ballet in Jiri Kylián’s ode to the power of the sea, Forgotten Land, I knew she was going places.
Houston Ballet celebrated its leader's tenth year at the helm by performing three of his works in one evening, a perfect Stanton Welch wonderland and a great way to examine this choreographer's gifts to ballet.
In celebration of Shakespeare's 450th birthday, Houston Ballet has anchored their new season with three ballets based on Shakespeare's timeless tales, including the company premiere of John Neumeier's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stanton Welch's world premiere of Romeo and Juliet and John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew.
A magic lantern, a flying carpet, an evil monster, love at first sight and a blend of trickery and triumph sounds like all the right ingredients for a juicy story ballet.
It's February, the love month. As much as I would like to regale you with tales of how love has affected the cultural landscape of Texas, that will have to wait until I leave the State.