HOUSTON BALLET FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
MISSION STATEMENT To inspire a lasting love and appreciation for dance through artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative choreography and superb educational programs. In furtherance of our mission, we are committed to maintaining and enhancing our status as: • A classically trained company with a diverse repertory whose range includes the classics as well as contemporary works. • A company that attracts the world’s best dancers and choreographers and provides them with an environment where they can thrive and further develop the art form. • An international company that is accessible to broad and growing local, national, and international audiences. • A company with a world-class Academy that provides first rate instruction for professional dancers and meaningful programs for non-professional dancers. • A company with state of the art facilities for performances, rehearsals, and ongoing operations.
About This Cause
HISTORY In 1955, the founding members of Houston Ballet Foundation had a vision for dance in Houston: to create a resident ballet company and to start a school which would train its dancers. Houston Ballet Academy was established that same year, and in 1969, the professional company was founded. Houston Ballet Foundation has seen the fulfillment of its goals; an internationally acclaimed ballet company which is now the nation’s fifth largest and an academy which supplies many of the company’s dancers. In 1976, Ben Stevenson assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet as artistic director. During his tenure, he developed a company of over fifty dancers, including artists who won gold, silver and bronze medals at major international ballet competitions. He shaped the repertory of Houston Ballet by choreographing original works, staging the classics, commissioning new works, and acquiring the works of the world’s most respected choreographers. Stanton Welch, Mr. Stevenson’s successor and a gifted young Australian choreographer, became artistic director in July 2003. In 1987, the company moved into its new performance space, the magnificent Wortham Theater Center, where the company currently performs throughout the year. In 2011, Houston Ballet’s six-story Center for Dance consists of nine studios for rehearsals and classes, executive offices and a black box dance lab. It is the largest facility in the U.S. devoted specifically to dance and is connected to the Wortham Theater Center by skywalk. This new space was built to further the excellence of balletic training and to accommodate the growth of the company, academy, and related education and community outreach programs. The Center for Dance serves as a tangible symbol of Houston’s commitment to the arts and provides a gateway to Houston’s diverse arts community. Throughout its extraordinary growth period, Houston Ballet’s operating budget has grown from less than $1 million in 1975 to over $24 million today. In 1986, the company launched an ambitious endowment drive. Today, Houston Ballet’s endowment stands at over $60 million, making it one of the largest endowments of any dance company in the United States. Through hard work and dedication, Houston Ballet Foundation has ensured Houston Ballet’s place as a major cultural asset in the community and as one of the leading ballet companies in the world. The company has toured extensively and has garnered critical praise in Europe, Asia, Canada, and cities throughout the United States.