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FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 27, 2011
CONTACT: SHAUNA TYSOR
713 535 3226
pr@houstonballet.org
HOUSTON BALLET PRESENTS ONE NIGHT ONLY
JUBILEE OF DANCE
Performance Honors Managing Director Cecil C. Conner, Jr.
for His 17 Years of Service
Stanton Welch Creates The Gentlemen,
Highlighting the Company Men
Soloist Melissa Hough Premieres C-Sharp Minor on the Brown Theater Stage
Performance Features a Revival of Welch's
Bolero, A Full-Company Showpiece
HOUSTON, TEXAS - On Friday, December 2, 2011 at 7:30 p.m., Houston Ballet presents its eighth annual Jubilee of Dance, 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. This year's Jubilee of Dance will honor Houston Ballet Managing Director Cecil C. Conner, Jr.'s 17 years of stellar administrative leadership. Mr. Conner, who will retire on February 15, 2012, helped to secure Houston Ballet's position as one of America's most fiscally stable dance companies while organizing many national and international tours, playing a crucial role in the planning and construction of Houston Ballet's Center for Dance over the last five years, and the fundraising for the $46.6 million cost of the new facility. 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 Artistic Director Stanton Welch will premiere The Gentlemen, a new work in honor of Mr. Conner, highlighting the company's male dancers performing to excerpts of Rossini's comic opera La Scala di Seta.
Mr. Welch has also commissioned soloist Melissa Hough to premiere her work C-Sharp Minor on the Brown Theater stage. Ms. Hough created C-Sharp Minor, a pas de deux for herself and demi soloist James Gotesky, set to Prelude in C Sharp Minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff, for the first ever choreographic workshop in the new Center for Dance's Margaret Alkek Williams Dance Lab in June 2011. Ms. Hough collaborated with corps de ballet dancer Allison Miller on the costume designs, which will be built by Houston Ballet's Costume Shop.
Houston Ballet's principals will star in excerpts of signature works and beloved classics, providing an opportunity for each artist to shine onstage. The Jubilee of Dance will showcase excerpts from several ballets, including one of the most famous excerpts in all of classical ballet Le Corsaire (1856); Ben Stevenson's Twilight; Stanton Welch's A Time to Dance (1990), Bolero (2004), and Clear (2001) as well as works by Jorma Elo, Ronald Hynd and Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
"Each year the Jubilee features the entire company," Mr. Welch remarks. "It's like a wedding where everyone gets to walk down the aisle and say 'here I am.' It's a way to celebrate all the dancers, staff, choreographers, orchestra and crew."
Closing the evening will be a special encore performance of Mr. Welch's Bolero, a full-company work set to Maurice Ravel's beloved score originally created for Houston Ballet's 35th anniversary celebration in 2004. In a review of Bolero in the Montreal publication Maissonneuve Magazine, dance critic Kena Herod observed, "Welch's choice to put the entire company and school's junior troupe onstage (adding up to over seventy dancers) - and in nothing but regulation leotards and tights - was statement enough for a company celebrating an important anniversary. Here we are, the gesture seemed to say, ready to start anew without forgetting the classical past. In this version of Bolero, the dancers enter one by one until the stage is bursting with life for the final crescendo." Writing in the Houston Chronicle, dance critic Molly Glentzer observed, "When the music finally climaxed, the whole company filled the stage with a magnificent geometry, dancing in alternating vertical, unisonal lines." (December 6, 2004)
Le Corsaire was originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier, and was first performed at the Theatre Imperial de L'Opera in Paris on January 23, 1856. Modern versions have roots from Marius Petipa's version in the mid-19th century. The pas de deux showcases a pirate, Conrad, who has rescued Medora, a Greek slave girl from sale to a harem and taken her to his underground grotto; where, having fallen in love with her, they dance together in celebration of her rescue. Principal Jun Shuang Huang and first soloist Kelly Myernick will perform Le Corsaire.
Ben Stevenson choreographed his pas de deux, Twilight to Serge Rachmaninoff's Elegie for Sara Webb and Ian Casady to perform at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi in June 2002. Ms. Webb and Mr. Casady will perform Twilight at the Jubilee of Dance. The company also danced the piece in November 2002 during its tour to the legendary Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Mr. Stevenson explained, "I tried to capture the romance that I thought was expressed in the music. Although I have attempted a romantic feeling, it is one of the most difficult pas de deux I have choreographed, and the piece demands a very strong male dancer to keep the difficult choreography smooth and elegant."
Mr. Welch created A Time to Dance in 1990 for The Dancers Company, a touring ensemble of The Australian Ballet, and was his first choreographic commission. The piece is set to music by Antonin Dvorak. The piece will be performed by corps de ballet members Emily Bowen, Christopher Gray and Katelyn May. In the ballet, character dancing is combined directly with classical dancing to create an entirely different set of movements. The choreography infuses pointe shoes and pirouettes with dancers deliberately flexing their feet and turning their legs in from the hips. Performing this combination of classical ballet's geometry with character dancing's abandon is deceptively difficult. Mr. Welch admits as much, saying that this ballet was designed to challenge the dancers while allowing them to have fun within the boundaries of classical ballet.
An abstract work for seven men and one woman, Mr. Welch's Clear is a showcase for male dancers. Set to music by Bach, Mr. Welch began choreographing Clear for New York City's American Ballet Theatre two weeks after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan. The resulting critically acclaimed work explores his reaction to that time of crisis.
A Tribute to Managing Director Cecil C. Conner, Jr.
Houston Ballet's Cecil C. Conner, Jr. will retire in February 2012, after 17 years of distinguished service to Houston Ballet as the company's top administrative leader. Houston Ballet's current general manager James Nelson, a graduate of Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy and a former dancer with Houston Ballet from 1990-1996 who has served as general manger of the company since 2000, will assume the position of executive director effective February 2012.
"C.C. Conner has been instrumental in Houston Ballet's success over the last 17 years. In 2003, he skillfully led the company through an artistic leadership transition. Beginning in 2005, he meticulously laid the groundwork for a transformational moment in the life of the company: the capital campaign that lead to the construction of our new $46.6 million Center for Dance," comments Houston Ballet Foundation President Karl Stern. "In addition to his superb fiscal management skills which have helped Houston Ballet maintain a strong financial position during challenging economic times, C.C.'s knowledge and love for the arts of dance and music have greatly enriched Houston Ballet. The board, dancers, musicians and staff salute him for his passionate, committed leadership."
An attorney and veteran arts administrator with over 30 years experience, Mr. Conner, came to Houston Ballet in 1995, quickly retiring the company's $1 million accumulated deficit, tripling the size of the company's endowment and establishing a series of unique collaborative partnerships with other leading companies across North America to foster the creation of new full-length narrative ballets: Dracula in 1997 with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre; The Snow Maiden in 1998 and The Pied Piper in 2002 with American Ballet Theatre; Cleopatra in 2000, with Boston Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre; and The Firebird with National Ballet of Canada in 2001. He has also planned and executed numerous national and international touring engagements for the company to such cities as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, China; Hong Kong; Toronto; London; Moscow (to the legendary Bolshoi Theater); Los Angeles, and to Washington, D.C. (The Kennedy Center).
Mr. Conner, who is 69, has also emerged as a leader on the national arts scene, having served on the board of Dance USA, the national dance service organization; the board of directors of the Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County; and as chairman of the board of the Texas Institute for Arts in Education. He currently serves on the board of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) Retirement and Health Funds and the Houston Downtown Alliance.
"I am exceedingly grateful for the generous support of the Houston community in helping us to build the Center for Dance, grow our endowment, and establish such a solid financial base of support for Houston Ballet to grow and prosper artistically in coming decades" commented Mr. Conner.
About Houston Ballet
On February 17, 1969 a troupe of 15 young dancers made its stage debut at Sam Houston State Teacher's College in Huntsville, Texas. Since that time, Houston Ballet has evolved into a company of 52 dancers with a budget of $19.2 million (making it the United States' fourth largest ballet company by number of dancers); a state-of-the-art performance space built especially for the company, Wortham Theater Center; the largest professional dance facility in America, Houston Ballet's $46.6 million Center for Dance which opened in April 2011; and an endowment of just over $57.6 million (as of May 2011).
Australian choreographer Stanton Welch has served as artistic director of Houston Ballet since 2003, raising the level of the company's classical technique and commissioning many new works from dance makers such as Christopher Bruce, Jorma Elo, James Kudelka, Trey McIntyre, Julia Adam, Natalie Weir and Nicolo Fonte. Under the administrative leadership of managing director C.C. Conner since 1995, the company has maintained a strong financial position.
Houston Ballet has toured extensively both nationally and internationally. Over the last decade, the company has appeared in London at Sadler's Wells, at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, in six cities in Spain, in Montréal, at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in New York at City Center, and in cities large and small across the United States. Houston Ballet has emerged as a leader in the expensive, labor-intensive task of nurturing the creation and development of new full-length narrative ballets.
Writing in The Financial Times on March 6, 2006, dance critic Hilary Ostlere praised Houston Ballet as "a strong, reinvigorated company whose male contingent is particularly impressive, a well-drilled corps and an enviable selection of soloists and principals."
Houston Ballet Orchestra was established in the late 1970s and currently consists of 61 professional musicians who play all ballet performances at Wortham Theater Center under music director Ermanno Florio.
Houston Ballet's Education and Outreach Program has reached over 22,000 Houston area students (as of the 2010-2011 season). Houston Ballet's Academy has 419 students and has had four academy students win prizes at the prestigious international ballet competition the Prix de Lausanne, with one student winning the overall competition in 2010.
For more information on Houston Ballet visit www.houstonballet.org.
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HOUSTON BALLET
JUBILEE OF DANCE
FACT SHEET
WHAT: JUBILEE OF DANCE featuring:
The Gentlemen, World Premiere
Music by Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868), La Gazza Ladra overture
Choreography and Costumes Conceived by Stanton Welch
C-Sharp Minor, Brown Theater Stage Premiere
Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), Prelude in C Sharp Minor
Choreography by Melissa Hough
Costumes by Allison Miller
Lighting by Brian Walker
BOLERO (2004)
Music by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), Bolero
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Costumes by Pat Padilla
Lighting by Christina R. Giannelli
THE LADIES (2010)
Music by Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868), La Scala di Seta overture
Choreography and Costumes Conceived by Stanton Welch
Lighting by Christina R. Giannelli
Excerpts from:
(In alphabetical order)
A TIME TO DANCE: 2nd Movement Pas de Trois (1990)
Music by Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) ; Choreography by Stanton Welch
CINDERELLA: Act 2 (1997)
Music by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953); Choreography by Stanton Welch; Scenic and Costume Designs by Kristian Fredrikson (1940-2005); Lighting by Lisa J. Pinkham
CLEAR: 4th Movement (2001)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor and the first and second movements from the Violin Concerto in G minor; Choreography by Stanton Welch ; Costumes by Michael Kors; Lighting by Lisa J. Pinkham
LE CORSAIRE: Pas de Deux (1856)
Music by Adolph Adam (1803-1856);Choreography after Marius Petipa (1818-1910)
DIVERGENCE: 9th Movement (1994)
Music by Georges Bizet (1838-1875), L’Arlésienne Suites No. 1 & 2; Choreography by Stanton Welch; Costumes by Vanessa Leyonhjelm; Lighting by Francis Croese
LA BAYADÈRE (“The Temple Dancer”): Act I (2010)
Music by Ludwig Minkus (1826-1917) La Bayadère, as arranged by John Lanchbery (1923-2003); Choreography by Stanton Welch; Scenic and Costume Designs by Peter Farmer; Lighting by Francis Croese
MADAME BUTTERFLY: Wedding Night Pas de Deux (1995)
Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), adapted by John Lanchbery (1923-2003); Choreography by Stanton Welch; Scenic and Costume Designs by Peter Farmer; Lighting by Lisa J. Pinkham
MANON: Act I (1974)
Music by Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Orchestrated and arranged by Leighton Lucas, with the collaboration of Hilda Gaunt; Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan (1929-1992); Scenic and Costume Designs by Peter Farmer
THE MERRY WIDOW: Act 1 (1975)
Music by Franz Lehár, musical adaptation by John Lanchbery (1923-2003) and Alan Abbott ; Choreography by Ronald Hynd; Scenic and Costume Designs by Roberta Guidi di Bagno; Original Lighting by Randall G. Chiarelli
ONE/end/ONE: 2nd Movement (2011)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Violin Concerto No. 4; Denise Tarrant, Violin; First and Second movement cadenzas courtesy of Julia Fischer; Choreography by Jorma Elo; Costumes by Holly Hynes
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY: Garland Dance (2005)
Music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893); Choreography by Stanton Welch, after Marius Petipa (1818-1910); Scenic and Costume Designs by Kristian Fredrikson
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY: Rose Adage (1990)
Music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893); Choreography by Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., after Marius Petipa (1818-1910); Scenic and Costume Designs by Desmond Heeley; Lighting by Duane Schuler
SWAN LAKE: Act 1 (2006)
Music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893); Choreography by Stanton Welch, after Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and Lev Ivanov (1834-1901); Scenic and Costume Designs by Kristian Fredrikson (1940-2005); Associate Designer: Fiona Reilly; Lighting by Lisa J. Pinkham
TWILIGHT: Pas de Deux (2002)
Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943); Choreography by Ben Stevenson, O.B.E; Lighting by Christina R. Giannelli
Jubilee of Dance lighting recreated by Lisa J. Pinkham. Houston Ballet Orchestra conducted by music director Ermanno Florio.
*Program order and pieces are subject to change
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Houston Ballet’s Jubilee of Dance is a one-night only program that has sold out in years past and that features a kaleidoscope of shorter works showcasing the current and future stars of Houston Ballet. This year’s Jubilee of Dance will honor Houston Ballet Managing Director Cecil C. Conner, Jr.’s 17 years of stellar administrative leadership.
WHEN: At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2011
WHERE: Brown Theater, Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Avenue in downtown Houston
TICKETS: Start at $35. Call (713) 227 ARTS or 1 800 828 ARTS. Also available at Houston Ballet Box Office at Wortham Theater Center downtown at Texas at Smith Street, or purchase tickets online at www.houstonballet.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Houston Ballet online at www.houstonballet.org.
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