Houston Ballet celebrates artistic director Stanton Welch’s 20th season
Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch has a lot to celebrate this year. The upcoming 2023-24 season marks his 20th anniversary with the professional dance company.
In observance of the milestone, next season ushers in six world premieres, three Houston Ballet premieres and the return of Welch’s most notable works from the past two decades.
Highlights include the revival of Welch’s “Cinderella,” created for Australian Ballet in 2007 and reprised by Houston Ballet many times over the years. The season’s other story ballets, John Neumeier’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s “Mayerling,” also return to Wortham Theater’s stage; Houston Ballet became the first North American company to perform each in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
Three company dancers will present new work this year. Soloist Jacquelyn Long, demisoloist Jack Wolff and corps de ballet dancer Jindallae Bernard are set to debut ballets during the “Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance: A Celebration of Stanton Welch” on Dec. 1. The evening includes a worldpremiere one-act ballet from Welch; audiences will recognize the concerto, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto, No. 1.”
In addition to its half-dozen world premieres, Houston Ballet welcomes another addition this year. Julie Kent offison. steps into her new role as co-artistic director with Welch in July. He was a big reason for her move from Washington Ballet, where she held the same position; the pair have been friends for nearly 24 years.
Sharing the role of co-artistic director allows each to shine. Kent will lean into coaching and teaching, which allows Welch to focus on choreography. Together, they’ll work toward continued excellence and growth — beginning with Houston Ballet’s 2023-24 seacially “We have a thrilling year ahead, with six world premieres, three Houston premieres and the return of three powerhouse full-lengths, all of which will showcase the company’s virtuosity and strong technique,” Welch said via statement. “I am proud of how Houston Ballet has grown to truly become an Eden of creativity, and I look forward to sharing a 2023-24 season with our audiences this year.”