Houston Ballet

Ballet was passed down for a few generations in Liriana's family line. For the tradition to continue, they passed it down to Liriana by the time she was able to walk. Although her mother was kind and supportive, it did not stop her from giving Liriana tiresome and strict training. After those few years of harsh training, she knew how to perform on the dance floors with grace. In her later years when she was about 8 years old, her parents let her have a little bit of freedom because of how well…

Ballet is beautiful, challenging, and full of joy. But did you know it can keep you fit and reduce injuries? At The Ridgefield School of Dance in Ridgefield, CT, they offer ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap dancing lessons for those ages five and over. Taught by experienced professional dancers, their state-of-the-art dance classes spread ability, grace, and strength to their students. It’s no secret that ballet is a skill that requires discipline. Most who learn, though, find the skill brings…

Watching dance in person is an unforgettable experience. No matter how many different dances you watch on video, there is no substitute for seeing it in person. Observing the technique class and the rehearsal gave me so much insight on how much work is put into each individual dance. It made me realize that dancers are perfectionists and will persistently go over one small part of a dance until it is absolutely perfect. Observing the technique class and rehearsal allowed me to see the dedication…

On February 26, 2016, I attended a performance by UA Dance entitled Color Wheel. It was held in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. Color Wheel was indeed a wheel: six different performances gave viewers a broad taste of what dance has to offer; from ballet to tap to jazz. The pieces performed were choreographed by a wide variety of choreographers, from Jerome Robbins, known for West Side Story, to James Clouser, professor at the University of Arizona. The performance provided a well-rounded view of…

now making films in English and Spanish. Her full name is Penelope Cruz Sanchez; she was born in Alcobendas Madrid, Spain on April 28, 1974. She was the eldest of three. When she was young, she acted the television commercials. She took classical ballet for nine years and then moved to New York to dance. She married a Spanish actor named Javier Bardem in July 2010. The couple has two children Leo Encinas Cruz and Luna Encinas Cruz. At the age of 15 she beat 300 other girls on a talent…

When I was seven, my ballet instructor told me that I have hyperextended knees. "It's great! All dancers want hyper extensions!" She assured. From that tender age, I always wondered. Is having what everyone else wants worth it? How much is the value increased? How much more desirable to you appear to others? From the time I was seven, I never really stopped thinking about the broad aspects of existence. I still incorporated my enjoyments into life, I just analyzed them far too much. When I was…

of shock, saying to me she thought it was all, “Just a phase”, and that , “You will flounder.” What she did not understand is the fact I had not floundered at all to this point professionally. But, that is one of the oddities of being a contracted ballet dancer - it is rare…

Blog #1- The Budding Creation of Ballet AnnieH By AnnieH on Oct 6, 2015 Close your eyes and recall a ballet performance you have seen before. Are you left in awe at the beauty and majestic elegance of the dancer’s work? Many other people enjoy both watching and performing this classic style of dance. The art of ballet has been practiced over many centuries, changing slightly every so often, but still retaining its majestic and graceful beauty every time. Ballet originated in the 15th century.…

I asked my dance teacher: "Can you teach me how to do a split?" She said: "How flexible are you?" I said: "I can make it Tuesday's and Thursday's" What exactly is flexibility? I can bend both meanings of the word into my life. I am both physically and mentally flexible. Ever since the age of 4, I have been wildly entangles with the beauty of dance. I don’t know whether the fascination came from the ballerina TV shows i used to watch, from the dancers I saw out in the streets, or whether I was…

Slowly walking through the multicolored road of ballet, when I looked back, I saw my step-by-step ballet growing footprints. When I was seven years old, I began to dance ballet for five years. This five-year experience was full of pain and joy. When I was 7 years old, I was sent by my parents to learn ballet. I was full of yearning, I really enjoyed the feeling of flying on the stage, more want to wear the white dress and shoes. I still remember when I first came to the dancing room, I was…