New Orleans Native Returns to Perform with Houston Ballet 10/24

The New Orleans Ballet Association is proud to announce that New Orleans' very own Mireille Hassenboehler will once again take the stage with Houston Ballet at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts. Following last season's triumphant premiere of Marie, the company returns on October 24 at 8pm for a special command performance of works by four of the world's preeminent choreographers.

Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the nation's best ballet companies," Houston Ballet has a long relationship with New Orleans that began in 1979 when the company first performed here, and this tour marks its third visit to New Orleans since 2005. Also celebrating its 40th anniversary this season, Houston Ballet brings an extraordinary program of masterworks by Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, William Forsythe, and Twyla Tharp.

The evening will begin with Hassenboehler and nine other dancers in Stanton Welch's Falling. Originally created for the San Francisco Ballet in 2005, Falling is a classical, playful piece for five couples set to Mozart's Salzburg Symphonies. At the premiere, Michael Wade Simpson of the San Francisco Chronicle observed, "The whole work has a fresh sense of direction and musicality....Falling is a delight in shades of pastel, with good ideas and excellent dancing delivered in a joyful, Mozartian spirit."

Hassenboehler will also dance one of the lead roles in Nacho Duato's poignant Jardí Tancat (1983), set to Catalonian folk tales passionately sung by Spanish vocalist Maria del Mar Bonet. With a sweet, yet fervent melancholy, these folksongs and their dance portrayal tell the story of the people who work the barren land praying for rain that does not come.

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (1996), set to Franz Schubert's Allegro Vivace from his Sympony No. 9 in C Major, is a series of solo variations, pas de deux, pas de trois and ensemble sections for five dancers, two men and three women. One of William Forsythe's more conventional ballets, this dynamic 12-minute work is full of energy and vitality and "is a brilliant outburst of neo-classical style." (The New York Times)

Having recently added its first piece by Tony Award Winner Twyla Tharp, Houston Ballet closes the evening with her signature work, In The Upper Room. As one of America's most celebrated dance makers and director of the Broadway hit Movin' Out, Tharp has a reputation for merging modern dance and ballet set to a variety of music types. In The Upper Room (1986), is a hard-driving, yet spiritual contemporary work set to music by Phillip Glass. "Legend has it that Tharp named her 1986 opus for a Mahalia Jackson recording that refers to the upper room where Jesus and his disciples gathered for the Last Supper. In Tharp's view, a dance floor is a similarly exalted space. Her place of reverence is a wide-open stage, with ballerinas in flippy skirts and pointe shoes sharing the spotlight with the other dancers in trousers and sneakers. The effect is not ironic, but harmonious." (The Washington Post)

The Houston Ballet performance begins at 8pm; ticket prices range from $20 to $125. Students and seniors (65 and older) receive a $7 discount off the regular ticket prices of $40 and higher. Group discounts also are available. For tickets or information, call the New Orleans Ballet Association Box Office at (504) 522-0996. Tickets may be purchased online through www.nobadance.com, or via Ticketmaster at (504) 522-5555 or www.ticketmaster.com.

In addition to the performance, Houston Ballet will also conduct two master classes. On Friday, October 23, there will be a community class open to intermediate/advanced dancers ages 16 and older at 6:30pm at Tulane University's McWilliams Hall. For reservations, call (504) 522-0996 x207 or email ereho@nobadance.com. Additionally, on Saturday, October 24 at 11am, the company will conduct a ballet master class for the NORD/NOBA Center For Dance, a partnership of NOBA and the New Orleans Recreation Department that provides tuition-free dance classes throughout the community.

This event is sponsored by the Betty S. and James A. Noe Jr. Foundation and the Sheraton Hotel New Orleans.

Houston Ballet Company History

In 1955, the founding members of Houston Ballet Foundation had a vision for dance in Houston: to create a resident ballet company and to start a school which would train its dancers. Houston Ballet Academy was established that same year under the leadership of Tatiana Semenova, a former dancer with The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1969, the professional company was founded, under the direction of Nina Popova, a former dancer with The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and American Ballet Theatre. Houston Ballet Foundation has seen the fulfillment of its goals: an internationally acclaimed ballet company which is now America's fourth largest and an academy which supplies over 40 percent of the company's dancers. The New York Times has hailed Houston Ballet as "one of the nation's best ballet companies." The company is comprised of 54 dancers, including artists who have won gold and silver medals at major international ballet competitions.
From 1976-2003, Englishman Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., a former dancer with Britain's Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, served as artistic director of Houston Ballet. He established a core of permanent choreographers whose works have greatly enriched the company's repertory. In 1989, Sir Kenneth MacMillan joined the company as artistic associate and Christopher Bruce was named resident choreographer. Sir Kenneth worked with the company from 1989 until his death in 1992, setting five of his pieces on Houston Ballet dancers. Mr. Bruce, who currently holds the title of associate choreographer, has set ten works on the company, including four pieces created especially for Houston Ballet. In 1984, a newly renovated dance facility was inaugurated to further the excellence of balletic training and to accommodate the growth of the company and its academy. In July 2003, the acclaimed Australian choreographer Stanton Welch assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet as artistic director. Mr. Welch, who has created ballets for many of the world's leading companies, has choreographed fourteen works especially for Houston Ballet. The Financial Times of London has praised his leadership of Houston Ballet, citing "a strong, invigorated company whose male contingent is particularly impressive, a well drilled corps and an enviable selection of soloists and principals."

Through hard work and dedication, Houston Ballet Foundation has ensured Houston Ballet's place as a major cultural asset in the community and as one of the leading ballet companies in the world. The company has toured extensively to critical praise in Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia, Canada, and in cities throughout the United States. In July 1995, Houston Ballet was the first full American ballet company invited by the Chinese government to tour the People's Republic of China. An estimated 500 million people witnessed Houston Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet when the company's opening night performance was telecast live on Chinese television. Over the last ten years, the company has emerged as one the most effective international ambassadors for the City of Houston, performing in London, New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
Stanton Welch, Artistic Director

In July 2003, the acclaimed Australian choreographer Stanton Welch assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet, America's fourth largest ballet company, as artistic director. Since his arrival, Mr. Welch has transformed Houston Ballet by raising the level of classical technique, infusing the company with new energy, drive and vision; introducing works by distinguished choreographers to the repertoire; and attracting some of the world's best coaches to Houston to work with the dancers. He is also one of the most sought after choreographers of his generation, having created works for such prestigious international companies as Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Royal Danish Ballet. Mr. Welch was born in Melbourne to Marilyn Jones, O.B.E., and Garth Welch, A.M., two of Australia's most gifted dancers of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1986 he began his training at the late age of seventeen, quickly winning a scholarship to San Francisco Ballet School. In 1989 he was engaged as a dancer with The Australian Ballet, where he rose to the rank of leading soloist, performing such principal roles as Des Grieux in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, Lensky in John Cranko's Onegin, Camille in Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, and Alan Strang in Equus. He has also worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Ji?í Kylían, Nacho Duato, and Maurice Béjart.

Mireille Hassenboehler, Principal Dancer

A native of New Orleans, Mireille Hassenboehler trained with Harvey Hysell until the age of seventeen. After studying at the San Francisco Ballet School and Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy, Ms. Hassenboehler joined Houston Ballet in 1992 and was promoted to principal in 2000. Her classical repertoire includes: the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora and Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle and Myrtha in Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, title roles in The Firebird, Cleopatra, Cinderella, and Madame Butterfly, Manon and Lescaut's Mistress in Manon and the ballerina in Harold Lander's Etudes. She has had featured roles in both classical and contemporary works, including: Adam's Ketubah; Balachine's The Four Temperaments, Theme and Variations, Serenade, Apollo, and Western Symphony; Bruce's Ghost Dances, Sergeant Early's Dream, and Rooster; Forsythe's In the middle, somewhat elevated; Kylian's Svadebka, Sinfonetta and Forgotten Land; Kudelka's Little Dancer; Lefar's Suite en Blanc; van Manen's Grosse Fuge and Five Tangos; McIntrye's Skeleton Clock, Bound, and Second Before the Ground; McMillan's Elite Syncopations; Morris's Sandpaper Ballet; Robbins' The Concert; Tetley's Lux in Tenebris and Rite of Spring; Stevenson's The Snow Maiden, Alice in Wonderland, Peer Gynt, Four Last Songs, Twilight, Five Poems and Dracula; Welch's Swan Lake, Indigo, Bruiser, The Core, Nosotros, Play, Tales of Texas, A Doll's House, Divergence, Velocity, Garden of Mirth, Tutu, Falling, Red Earth and Maninyas. Ms. Hassenboehler recently married Mr. Robert Daniel Patman, Executive Director of Texas Oncology.

New Orleans Ballet Association is celebrating 40 years of bringing dance to life and is the Central Gulf region's premiere presenting and service organization dedicated solely to the art of dance. NOBA's dynamic Main Stage season annually features a diverse array of world-class companies and artists. Each year NOBA provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 25,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, NOBA's nationally recognized award-winning education programs provide the youth of our community access to quality arts programs with 2,500 free dance classes and workshops annually at ten sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which believes that a great nation deserves great art; a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans (ACNO); a Community Arts Grant made possible through the City of New Orleans as administered by ACNO; a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the NEA.