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As part of its 46^th season, the Harriman-Jewell Series will present Houston Ballet II on Saturday, October 30^th at the Folly Theater. The series has welcomed Houston’s main company to Kansas City several times over the years when they used to perform at the spacious Music Hall. Now at the Folly, they have a smaller, more intimate space to fill and Houston Ballet’s second company was perfect for the bill.

With the series’ strong relationship to Houston Ballet, it was an easy decision to select Houston Ballet II as one of its dance performances. Executive and Artistic Director of the series, Clark Morris, said he conceived of the idea after seeing the company perform in a showcase in New York.         

“Sometimes with a younger company, a junior company, or a second company, your expectation is that it’s not going to be very good, that it’s not going to be the level of quality that you see in the main company,” he said. “I was really astounded and surprised at how wonderful the second company for Houston Ballet is.”

Houston Ballet II was formed in 2003 when current Artistic Director Stanton Welch joined the organization. Shelly Power, Associate Director of the Houston Ballet Academy, was overjoyed to witness the realization of the second company, which had been a working idea and dream for five years. Power said Welch’s goals for the new, youthful ensemble was to give them the opportunity “to push their artistic and performance training to that level so that they’re more prepared to go into a company.” In addition, they would get to tour and perform in the likes of a real company and experience a similar lifestyle of a professional dancer.

This year, Houston Ballet II is comprised of 19 dancers, ranging in age from 16 to 20. For this particular show, they will be joined by two of Houston Ballet’s principal dancers Mireille Hassenboehler and Jun Shuang Haung. The pair will perform the pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty and the lead roles in Act III of Raymonda. The inclusion of Hassenboehler and Haung in the program was a decision made by Morris and the staff of Houston Ballet.

“Because our audience has seen Houston Ballet in the recent past,” Morris said, “we didn’t want them to feel like this was less of an artistic experience. … We wanted them to feel like they were getting the same high level of quality.”

Power said that the addition of the principal dancers will be a bonus for the Kansas City audience, but that people should expect to be impressed by the high level of talent the Houston Ballet II dancers have to offer.  

“The dancers you are going to see in Kansas City are a great representation of the world as well as very, very strong, talented dancers,” she said. “So you’re not going to look up there and think, ‘Oh my gosh.’ You’re going to forget they are students.”

In addition to the two traditional works, the company is presenting two contemporary pieces choreographed by Welch. The program opener, The Long and Winding Road, is set to nine orchestrated Beatles songs, arranged by Peter Breiner. The other selection, Blue, is rooted in classical methodology but flirts with current movement, a common thread in Welch’s choreography. Power said the piece straddles the line that separates classical and contemporary ballet.

When Houston Ballet II takes to the stage on Saturday night, the audience can look forward to is youth and energy

“It’s always such an inspiration, I think, to be able to see these high-level, focused young dancers on stage and I think it also will be for the audience,” Power said. “I think that they will walk away knowing that we have a very strong generation coming up and it’s very exciting.”

Morris anticipates a full house for the reputable second company’s debut performance in Kansas City.

PREVIEW:

Harriman-Jewell Series
Houston Ballet II
Saturday, October 30 at 8 p.m.
Folly Theater
300 W. 12^th Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets, call 816-415-5025 or go to www.hseries.org.

By Laura Vernaci

Dance Contributor

Laura Vernaci is a Kansas City native who has always been passionate about the arts, particularly dance. She began dance lessons at the young age of five and hasn't stopped since. She trained at the Kansas City Ballet where she became a serious dancer and learned about a professional company. 

She attended Butler University in Indianapolis, IN where she majored in dance. She transferred to Truman State University in Kirksville, MO in 2006 and received a degree in Journalism in May 2008.  Laura spent the 2008-2009 in Duluth, MN dancing professionally for the Minnesota Ballet. She performed in productions such as, "The Nutcracker," "Cinderella" and "Coppelia" as well as world premier ballets created on the company.

She recently moved back to Kansas City and is excited to combine her experience in writing with her passion for dance. In addition to performing and writing, Laura also enjoys teaching dance and choreographing.

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