Ben Stevenson News

Just in time for the opening production of the Houston Ballet 2015-2016 season, the sensuous romance MANON, BroadwayWorld.com releases its discussion with Stanton Welch. In the interview, Welch talks family, career, and love. Family, career, and love at the Houston Ballet, of course.

Simon Wexler of American Ballet Theatre will be on the faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Program from July 20-24, 2015. The Shreveport Dance Academy is located in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Heightening its role as a powerful commissioning force, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center - The Music Center's acclaimed dance series - is introducing an exciting new chapter in dance with the world premiere of BalletNow, an original three-performance program for which American Ballet Theatre Principals Roberto Bolle and Herman Cornejo are serving as artistic directors. Bolle and Cornejo have formed an international ensemble of 18 major dancers from 12 foreign countries for three distinctive performances, with many of the dancers performing at The Music Center and in Southern California for the first time.

Dance Council of North Texas (DCNT) is proud to announce the 2015 Dance Council Honors that will take place on September 6, 2015 at the Dallas City Performance Hall as part of the second annual Dallas DanceFest, September 4-6, 2015.

April 30-May 9, 2015, Houston Ballet returns to Canada to perform Artistic Director Stanton Welch's acclaimed staging of La Bayadere ("The Temple Dancer").

Following a successful run of The Nutcracker, Artistic Director Gabriel Zertuche has promoted company member Sally Turkel to Principal Dancer effective immediately.

KARINA GONZALEZ and SIMON BALL, principal dancers of the Houston Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker this weekend, December 6 and 7, 2014 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

WIN Four FREE TICKETS to Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER!

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm. This year's program will feature the great American ballerina Julie Kent, a principal dancer with New York's American Ballet Theatre, who will make a special guest appearance. Ms. Kent will perform the leading female role in Stanton Welch's Clear (2001), a role she created at the work's premiere in 2001 in New York. Houston Ballet will also pay tribute to beloved first soloist Kelly Myernick, who is retiring after 14 years with the company. The Jubilee of Dance will close the evening with an excerpt of Stanton Welch's high-speed Velocity (2003), a ballet that pays homage to classical conventions in a contemporary manner. The Jubilee of Dance will be held at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

Houston Ballet presents its eleventh annual Jubilee of Dance, a special one-night only performance on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm.

Houston Ballet Principal Dancers Karina Gonzalez and Connor Walsh will travel to Sydney, Australia to perform the leads roles of Nikiya and Solar in Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch's lavish production of La Bayadere with The Australian Ballet on Sunday, November 16; Monday, November 17; and Friday, November 21.

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.

KARINA GONZALEZ and SIMON BALL, principal dancers of the Houston Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on December 6 and 7, 2014 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Manhattan Youth Ballet and Manhattan Movement & Arts Center announce new faculty members for the fall 2014 semester: Garielle Whittle, Flavio Salazar, Martin Harvey, and Gennadi Saveliev.

A favorite of Instagram at Tech Week NYC, Generate is an app that marks an evolution in media production using smartphones

Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent and Xiomara Reyes, Principal Dancers with American Ballet Theatre, have announced their retirements from the Company at the conclusion of the 2015 Metropolitan Opera House season in New York City. 'These three unique ballerinas have each made such distinctive contributions to ABT throughout the years,' Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie stated. 'With them, an era of our history resides. Their remarkable careers will be three more reasons to celebrate our 75th Anniversary season.'

Ballet San Antonio opens its 2014-15 season with 'Dracula,' a much-lauded homegrown work showcasing the artistic breadth of the resident ballet company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run Oct. 16 through 19.

Ballet San Antonio opens its 2014-15 season with Dracula, a much-lauded homegrown work showcasing the artistic breadth of the resident ballet company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Performances run Oct. 16 through 19.

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the appointment of three new members of the artistic staff: Grace Holmes as the new Director of Kansas City Ballet School, Kristi Capps as the new Ballet Master and Anthony Krutzkamp as newly created position of Manager of KCB II. Carney also announced eleven new members of the Company, increasing the Company from 28 to 29 members for the 2014-2015 season. He also announced the appointment of four new KCB II dancers, which stands at six members. Carney also announced the creation of a Trainee Program with five students, two selected from Kansas City Ballet School.

From September 4-14, 2014, Houston Ballet launches its 45th season with the company premiere of John Neumeier's three-act ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's lighthearted play of the same name and follows the hijinks and hilarity that ensues when a well-intentioned plan with a love potion goes awry. Created in 1977, A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as Mr. Neumeier's calling card, being seen as one of his most joyous and popular creations. Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform the famous work and it is the first piece by Mr. Neumeier to enter the Houston Ballet repertoire.