Houston Ballet

Houston Ballet aims to inspire a lasting love and appreciation for dance through artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative choreography, and superb educational programs. Each year, through its Education and Community Engagement initiatives, Houston Ballet reaches more than 60,000 participants from over 300 Houston-area schools, community centers, and libraries through 17 distinct programs, including several designed to serve children and adults with special needs.

'Dance for Parkinson's,' offered in partnership with Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS), is a free innovative dance program for adults living with Parkinson's disease. This year-round program creates a welcoming and supportive environment for participants to explore movement while applying some of the ground-breaking approaches proven to benefit those living with Parkinson's disease.

Houston Ballet partners with Down Syndrome Association of Houston to offer free 'Adapted Dance' classes that encourage children ages 5-12 with Down syndrome to explore their creativity through movement. Classes work to improve strength, flexibility, and balance while encouraging creative expression and teamwork. Additionally, Houston Ballet's trained teaching artists partner with local schools, hospitals, and organizations to create a program tailored for their student's needs. Recent residencies include Texas Children's Hospital Renal Unit and Houston Independent School District's Raul Martinez Elementary.

Houston Ballet's 'Autism-Friendly Performances' provide children with neurological differences and their families a formal ballet experience in a supportive and comfortable environment. Modifications for these productions include: increased house lighting, reduced sound, a respite room, and on-site trained volunteers. Each performance includes online resource materials and interactive experiences, including a meet and greet with the performers. Tickets are open to the public and sold at a reduced rate of $10. During the 2018-19 season, Houston Ballet will present two 'Autism-Friendly Performances' at Houston Ballet's Center for Dance: 'Dancing in Texas' and the traditional story ballet 'Sleeping Beauty.'

In 1955, the founding members of Houston Ballet had a vision for dance in Houston: to create a resident ballet company and to start a school that would train its dancers. Houston Ballet Academy was established that same year; and, in 1969, the professional company was founded. Under the leadership and vision of Stanton Welch AM since 2003, Houston Ballet has seen the fulfillment of its goals; an internationally acclaimed ballet company of 60 dancers and an academy, which supplies many of the company's dancers. In 2011, Houston Ballet Center for Dance, the largest facility in the U.S. devoted specifically to dance [1], was built in the heart of Houston's Theater District. This new space was built to further the excellence of balletic training and to accommodate the growth of the company, the Academy, and Education and Community Engagement programs, which have fostered creative learning and cultivated vibrant communities for over 50 years.