BWW Reviews: Houston Ballet's 2013 SPRING SHOWCASE Introduces Ballet's Next Superstars

Houston, the nations 4^th largest city, has a distinguished and celebrated arts scene. One of the finest aspects of this scene is how much it encourages and fosters arts education for youths. The Houston Ballet Academy has been offering the highest quality of dance education to both children and adults since 1955. In addition to training local youth, the Houston Ballet Academy attracts students from all over the world. This weekend, the Houston Ballet Academy and Houston Ballet II performed their 2013 Spring Showcase in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center, showcasing why this program is globally recognized as one of the preeminent dance training programs.

For the first act of the program the audience was treated to a performance of COPPÉLIUS, THE MAGICIAN, with music by Léo Delibes and choreography by Claudio Muñoz, after Arthur Saint Leon. Impressively, this choreography was both fascinating and challenging. Even though this talented group is young, Claudio Muñoz choreographed the group with rigor comparable to professional ballet performances.

Starring as the couple in love, Bridget Kuhns' Swanilda and Michael Ryan's Franz stole the show and the hearts of the audience. These two young performers are sensationally talented and danced beautifully.

The Dawn duo danced by Eri Eguchi and Lauren Flower and the Prayer duo danced by Asia Bui and Benjamin Rudisin were both gorgeous and sumptuous. Both duos were regally elegant in performance, displaying striking and stunning poise and control.

As Coppélius, Alexander Maryionowski started the ballet off with a sincere and rollicking dose of comedy. Luke Westerman's Young Coppélius was whimsical and fascinating, drawing the audience into the fantastical plot. Raul Orozco as the Innkeeper and Kirsten Kemp as the Innkeeper's wife kept the mood light, dancing with great character and comedy.

The students cast as Friends, Peasant Girls, Peasant Boys, Hours, Mazurka Girls, and Mazurka Boys all showed professionalism and promise. The girls displayed wondrous Pointe work and the boys were mesmerizingly athletic. The energy of the entire cast was electrifying, making the performance all the more enjoyable.

Costume Design by Desmond Heeley was lovely and captured Eastern European villager clothing styles fantastically.

Lisa J. Pinkham's Lighting Design was mostly simplistic, keeping the stage bathed in glowing ambers that provided realistic lighting for the production.

Stanton Welch provided the choreography for the second act performance, BRIGADE. He coached his young dancers through difficult, complicated, and strenuous displays of beautifully classical ballet work set to music by Bejamin Britten.

Every performer in this act did pristine and thrilling work; however, standout performances were given by Tyler Donatelli during the opening march, Asia Bui and Daniel Wagner during the nocturne, Hayden Stark during the waltz, Eri Eguchi and Michael Ryan during the conzonetta, Mallory Mehaffey during the bolero, and Aoi Fujiwara and Eric White during the tarantella. All of the astonishing dancers showcased a range of emotion and energy, infusing their performances with youth, vibrancy, and agility.

Scenic Design by Thomas Boyd for this production used four chandeliers, giving the elegant imagery of a First Empire grand ball.

Holly Hynes' Costume Design was resplendent. The males resembled soldiers and high ranked military officials and the girls were in lovely ball gown inspired tutus that allowed their intricate and fanciful leg and footwork to be prominently displayed.

Christina R. Giannelli's Lighting Design usEd Whites overhead, while projecting sumptuous and evocative colors on the upstage cyclorama.

The final act was STUDIES, with music by Carl Czerny expertly played on the piano by Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon and Steven Tran. Stanton Welch also choreographed this act.

STUDIES showcased the talents of the students of The Houston Ballet Academy from their Level I class all the way to their Houston Ballet II students. The dance resembled what one thinks of when they think of ballet class. In spite of all the fantastic dancing during this act, the best part was seeing the beaming parents' eyes begin to sparkle when they found their child on stage.

At the 2013 Houston Ballet Academy Spring Showcase, the Houston Ballet immaculately showcased their skill and prowess in arts education. As I sat back and enjoyed an evening of splendid dancing, I couldn't help but be amazed at their dedication to creating such fine and extraordinary artists. I have no doubt in my mind that their commitment to this educational endeavor is training and fostering the next class of ballet superstars. I am also unflinchingly certain that these students will have their names printed in Playbills for many years to come, whether they continue dancing in Houston or travel the globe with their talents.

For more information about the Houston Ballet Academy, visit www.houstonballet.org/Academy/About_the_Academy. Also, be sure to check out Houston Ballet's upcoming production PETER PAN, running from June 13-23, 2013. For more information about PETER PAN or tickets to one of the performances, visit www.houstonballet.org or call (713) 227 - 2787.

Photo of Bridget Kuhns as Swanilda in COPPÉLIUS, THE MAGICIAN by Amitava Sarkar. Courtesy of Houston Ballet.

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