Houston Ballet II Will Travel to Cannes for International Meeting of Junior Ballets

Houston Ballet II, the Second Company of Houston Ballet, has been invited to participate in the Cannes International Meeting of Junior Ballets in Cannes, France.

Along with Norwegian National Ballet II and the Cannes Jeune Ballet, the companies will take part in various classes and workshops, culminating with a mixed repertory performance at the Théâtre de la Licorne, February 16 - 18.

"On behalf of Houston Ballet II, we are so delighted to be invited to attend the 2017 International Meeting of Junior Ballets in Cannes," said Academy Director Vicki Attard. "The opportunity for our eight young dancers to experience stage and professional life through exchanges and workshops is unique and will no doubt be an unforgettable opportunity to discover and grow."

The Cannes International Meeting of Junior Ballets is a unique opportunity for future professional dancers to build their professional network on an international level. Rosella Hightower, the founder of the meeting's host ballet school École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes, believed that the time between the end of a student's education and the entry into the professional world is one of the key moments in the career of young dancers. With this in mind, the Cannes International Meeting of Junior Ballets was formed to give young dancers the opportunity to meet other dancers, choreographers and company directors from around the world in preparation for their professional careers. In this year's concluding collaborative performance, Houston Ballet II will perform Stanton Welch's A Dance in the Garden of Mirth, Ilya Kozadayev's Molto Espressivo and Act III of Claudio Muñoz's The Sleeping Beauty after Marius Petipa. Learn more here.

Houston Ballet II is the Second Company of Houston Ballet, America's fifth largest ballet company. Comprised of a stellar array of ballet students from around the world, Houston Ballet II members perform a diverse range of dance works such as excerpts from the great classics like The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker to contemporary works by Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch AM.

The mission of Houston Ballet II is three-fold; to provide students the opportunity to dance leading roles in varied repertoire, to allow the dancers to develop technically and artistically through performance experience, and to serve the community by providing quality, professional performances in Houston and around the world. The visibility of the excellent training in Houston Ballet II supports the growth of the professional company at large.

Under the direction of Stanton Welch AM, Artistic Director, and Vicki Attard, Academy Director, Houston Ballet II dancers are led by the internationally acclaimed coach and teacher Claudio Muñoz, ballet master for Houston Ballet II, and Houston Ballet Academy's artistic staff. Houston Ballet II company members tour both nationally and internationally, and have performed in Mexico, China, Hungary, Guatemala, Canada, and Switzerland. For more information, visit www.houstonballet.org/academy.

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