Houston Ballet II to perform in Goldstein Auditorium
The Houston Ballet II, part of the Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, acts as the first ballet’s second company. And while the Houston Ballet is the fourth largest company in the country, the Houston Ballet II can perform in areas where the larger academy typically does not tour.
The Houston Ballet II will perform at 8 p.m. on Nov. 6 in the Goldstein Auditorium as a part of the Pulse Performing Arts Series, which is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Syracuse University Arts Engage. Tickets for the show are available at the Schine Box Office for $5 for students with an SU ID, $16 for faculty, staff and alumni, and $20 for general admission.
“The Houston Ballet II provides beautiful entertainment from professional and well-crafted dancers and [an] experience that many college students may not get to experience while on a college campus,” said Andrew Martini, a Pulse Advisory Board member, in an event press release.
The company is composed of ballet students whose classes are taught by skilled faculty members from across the world, giving dancers the opportunity to develop their skills on a smaller scale. The dancers are trained to perform a diverse range of dance styles, from classical to contemporary ballet.
“They will be doing a selection of dances with a variety of ballet styles,” said Courtney Jones, the assistant director of the Office of Student Activities, a unit within the Division of Student Affairs. “There will be some very traditional ballet, along with some more updated pieces, as well. It’s an opportunity to see highly trained, technically proficient dancers in a classical style who bring a love of dance and a joy of performing to the stage.”
The artistic director of the Houston Ballet, Stanton Welch, is an acclaimed choreographer who has worked with several companies in many different countries. The high quality of the company’s dance techniques was something that appealed to the Pulse Student Advisory Board members when they put together this year’s performing arts lineup.
“The selection of Houston Ballet II was a collective effort between the students and staff,” Jones said in an email. “We were able to watch some of their pieces online and decided they looked perfect to bring to campus.”
From there, the board contacted the Houston Ballet II’s agent to work out details. The ultimate goal of Pulse Performing Arts Series is to present performance and visual art programs to SU students and the Syracuse community. In the past, Jones said the series has showcased dance companies with a more modern or contemporary dance style, but this upcoming performance will showcase more traditional ballet.
Jones said she hopes the performance will appeal to many students and Syracuse residents.
“We have many diverse student dance organizations on campus who all perform on a regular basis and draw big crowds, so we know the interest in dance is high,” Jones said. “There are also many dance centers in the Central New York area, several of whom focus primarily on ballet, and we invited all of them to the show. We hope to see many SU students, as well as many young ballerinas and ballet enthusiasts, in the audience Wednesday evening.”
The Pulse Performing Arts Series has brought in several artists and other performing arts exhibitions throughout the semester. The Houston Ballet II will be the last segment of the series for this semester. The Diavolo Dance Theater, a modern acrobatic dance company, will perform in April next semester.
Said Martini, the Pulse Advisory Board member: “The Houston Ballet II fits right into Pulse’s mission to bring high quality, engaging performing arts pieces to the campus and Syracuse community.”
