Inside the Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Bash

Wilson Parish
blast9.18
blast9.18


Fifty has never looked better! The Houston Ballet’s milestone-anniversary season kicked off with a special celebration at the Wortham. A performance of Giselle — which was actually the show, put on by a troupe of Houston dancers in 1967, that prompted the city to explore having its own company — was followed by a seated onstage dinner. Tables, chairs and even a string quartet were nestled invitingly among set pieces; floral arrangements featuring blush, cream and hints of gold, a nod to the golden anniversary, were eye-catching. Dinner — medallions of herb-crusted beef tenderloin, walnut-filled Champagne-poached pear — was also fit for royalty. The evening, chaired by Jesse H. Jones II and honoring Lynn Wyatt for her many contributions to the Ballet over the decades, garnered more than $230,000. Encore!

Ian Casady, Marguerite Swartz, Mary Sage and Chris Coome
Dispatches

WITH ITS INAUGURAL set of residents newly moved in, Pelican Builders’ mid-rise condominium Westmore at 2323 W Main Street in Upper Kirby is already seeing the blossoming of a tight-knit community. Designed by Houston-based Mirador Group the Westmore is the first new condominium product to be introduced to the in-demand, inner loop neighborhood in more than three years. And with remaining two-bedroom homes starting at $895,000, it’s a remarkable value for this increasingly pricey area, where condos can easily climb to several million dollars and more.

Keep Reading Show less
Home + Real Estate

A moment from 'The House,' choreographed by Nao Kusuzaki

WALKING THE GROUNDS of the Heights Ironworks is like stepping back in time, making it the ideal location for choreographer and former Houston Ballet soloist Nao Kusuzaki’s immersive dance performance, The House. Created for Houston Contemporary Dance Company and running Feb. 8-10 (5pm, 7pm and 9pm), The House explores the groundbreaking accomplishments of Barbara Jordan, the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, and Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Although Jordan and Lee’s paths never crossed, Kusuzaki imagines them as guests at the Yale House, a five-room historic landmark built in 1903.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment