Interview: Houston Ballet's Ian Casady Shares His Favorite Things!

Stanton Welch's gloriously revamped THE NUTCRACKER is easily the highlight of this season for many Houstonians. Principal dancer Ian Casady plays Drosselmeyer, enchanting audiences with his fiery energy and big stage presence. I sat down with Casady, wanting to shed light on who the dancer is beyond the stage lights.

The 3 biggest influences in my life are: My family, dancing and music.

My astrological sign is: Leo

Must-See TV for me : Right now? Westworld.

Siblings? One younger brother. His name is Sean. He's 30 years old and works as a video editor. He's very talented musically as well. And funny. We've always been very close, despite the age difference.

Favorite comfort food: My mother-in-law's chicken and sausage gumbo.

Three things I must always have with me are: Generally I always have a bottle of water, a snack, and I hate to say it, but it's true...my phone.

My 3 favorite cities: San Francisco, New Orleans, and my hometown, Fairfax, California.

My proudest achievement: Our daughter, Emily.

I love a movie that makes me feel: Depends on my mood I guess. I like all types of movies: thrillers, fantasy and sci-fi, comedy, historical, etc. I suppose I like it most when a movie is totally engrossing and intriguing. Something that takes me on a journey.

The most-played songs on my iPod are: Recently, Haydn's Piano Concerto no. 11, Ravel's String Quartet and Miroirs, Britten's Lachrymae, and Bodysnatchers by Radiohead.

When I feel nervous I: Eat!

If I wasn't a dancer, I'd be a: Sound engineer...or a brewer.

The one thing that makes me cry is: Thoughts of our daughter and how quickly she's growing up.

After this interview I'm going to: Have a beer. Probably something local.

Houston Ballet presents THE NUTCRACKER through December 27th at The Wortham Center. For tickets, visit houstonballet.org. Don't miss it!

Photo Credit: Amitava Sarkar

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