DANCE TALKS

In our last Dance Talk of the 2024-2025 season, explore how music inspires the movement in the ballets of Sparrow—Ben Stevenson’s Four Last Songs, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, and Stanton Welch’s Sparrow—with Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson, Music Director and Chief Conductor Simon Thew, and Soloist Jacquelyn Long, moderated by Mimi Hassenboehler.

Hear from Artistic Director Stanton Welch AM, costume and set designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, Principal Angelo Greco, and Soloist Danbi Kim in this exciting Dance Talk about the making of Welch’s newest full-length ballet Raymonda—a romantic tale of love: by duty, by chance, and by choice.

Discover Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson's The Sleeping Beauty – an enchanting take on Charles Perrault's classic fairytale. Dr. Elizabeth Klett, Professor of Literature at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, joins Associate Director of ECE and former Principal Lauren Anderson and Principal Yuriko Kajiya to discuss the legacy of The Sleeping Beauty in literary and ballet history with a special focus on the coveted role of Aurora.

In this special dance talk, we take a closer look at the art of pas de deux with Ballet Master Ian Casady and Principals Beckanne Sisk and Chase O'Connell, exploring how partnering is carefully crafted in Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, Lila York’s Celts, and Jerome Robbins’ In the Night.

In this talk leading up to our annual one-night-only extravaganza, we celebrate the past and usher in the future. Hear from Brett Ishida on her first commission for Houston Ballet and commemorate the 20-year tenures of Ballet Master Steven Woodgate and Principals Jessica Collado and Connor Walsh celebrated during the Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance.

Choreographer Silas Farley returned to Houston Ballet for the 2024-25 season to create a new work inspired by four types of love, driven by a commissioned score from frequent collaborator Kyle Werner. Hear from Silas Farley, costume designer Cassia Farley, Principal Jessica Collado, and First Soloist Julian Lacey for a first look into his second commission for Houston Ballet.

Dive into the spellbinding world of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairytale. Dr. Elizabeth Klett, Professor of Literature at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, joins choreographer John Neumeier, Principal Karina González, and First Soloist Gian Carlo Perez for a fascinating discussion of how Neumeier ventures beyond the pages of the original fairytale to develop a sophisticated tale of love and resilience set to Lera Auerbach's conceptual score.