We presented our Annual City-Wide Dance Festival featuring more than 100 hundred of Houston's favorite dancers to a full house at the Wortham Center, Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 8:00 PM.

Hip hop, ballroom, contemporary and traditional styles of dance took the audience by surprise; the high-energy performances provided a widely versatile grouping of choreographed pieces to enjoy. The styles of dance were modern with a twist of old-world, contemporary with a sweet scent of that familiar jazz, and hip-hop with a global pedestrian voice. This year's meticulously planned city-wide festival was unlike any other and it was clearly a huge success. As the curtains came to a close the audience lingered hoping for more.

Andrea Cody, Founder and Executive Director of Dance Houston recently shared "I strongly feel that Houston is the proud home to world-class dancers who specialize in all the most popular styles of dance today. It's important that we recognize that, and it's definitely something to celebrate!"

The Dance Houston's City-Wide Dance Festival came to a close at a champagne and desert after-party where Company Directors and special guests mingled and engaged in conversation around the joy of dance and how it can inspire a community to push beyond challenges of any kind. Guests were invited to participate in a brief question and answer session with performers from the city-wide festival. Performers and guest alike dialogued around inspiration, delivery and integrity of performances. Many of the people in attendance mentioned that it was an incredible experience to see a kaleidoscope of dance genres all on one stage. Audience surveys noted that our fans clearly see where Dance Houston is successfully showcasing and blending arts, culture and community.

As promised, accessibility to quality performance and affordability were delivered by Dance Houston and its team of collaborating companies which included 8th Edition, Barbara King Dance Company, Compania Folklorica Alegria Mexicana, Dance of Asian America, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Houston Ballet II, Luna Tango Productions, NobleMotion Dance, Revolve Dance Company, Sreepadam School of Arts, Uptown Dance Company, Urban Souls Dance Company and Wyld Styl.

The inspiration the dancers portrayed through music, lines and movement was truly a magical experience for the audience at last Saturday night's City-Wide Dance Festival. We can't wait to see what Dance Houston has in store for us in this Fall and Spring which will certainly inspires a tap in a community's heart!

Photos: Urban Souls Dance Company and Revolve Dance Company by James Wiseman

From September 10 - 20, 2009, Houston Ballet launches its 40th season with a revival of the epic love story Manon, choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan and featuring scenery and costumes by the acclaimed British designer Peter Farmer.

You will soon learn as you experience Manon, that this ballet takes everything that is dramatic ballet to the highest point. Fascinating and emotionally complex, Manon is one of the most intriguingly ambiguous heroines in ballet. It has been written that for a ballerina, it's a coveted role allowing a wealth of dramatic possibilities and interpretive touches. Fasten your seatbelt because as the curtain opens you will be taken to a place where an age of innocence is compromised by ambition, sexual calculation, desperation, and where the reality of a harsh life can only lead to a tragic finale.

Based on the famous eighteenth century French novel Manon Lescaut (1731) by Abbé Prévost, the ballet depicts the romantic adventures of the irresistibly beautiful Manon and her one true love, the impoverished student Des Grieux, from the demi monde of Paris to the bayous of Louisiana. Sir Kenneth has created a brilliant dance drama that explores the relationship between love, sex, and the corrupting power of money. The passion and danger of Manon's central pas de deux have proven irresistible to audiences around the world, and have made it one of the most popular full-length ballets of the second half of the twentieth century.

MacMillan created Manon in 1974 for England's The Royal Ballet. Since its premiere, Manon has received critical acclaim in performances by Paris Opera Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, The Australian Ballet, English National Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada. Houston Ballet first performed Manon in 1994, and revived the work in 1998 and in 2002. Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre are the only American companies that perform the work.

Photo: Amy Fote and Simon Ball by Pam Francis

Exquisite and bold dance, eclectic music and intriguing multi-media performance works are some of the toe tapping, head bopping finger snapping delights offered to you free of charge at this year's annual dance festival, A Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance, at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 at 8 p.m. Presented by Dance Source, the evening program showcases a wide range of contemporary choreographic styles featuring solos, duets and large company pieces, set to both live and recorded music. For more information about the performance please call (281) 975-4023 or visit www.houstondance.org or www.MillerOutdoorTheatre.com.

The annual weekend also includes a special family matinee, Dance Around the World, featuring Houston Ballet II and J&L New Arts Company on Saturday, September 26 at 11 a.m., at 2 Miller Outdoor Theatre.

All seating is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Free tickets for the evening performances will be available at Miller Outdoor Theatre Box Office on the day of the show from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Miller Outdoor Theatre is located at 100 Concert Drive in Hermann Park in the heart of Houston.

Photo: HIStory by James Wiseman

The Young & Intense Summer Camp recital was held on Friday, Aug 21, 2009 at the Wortham Theatre Center where seats were occupied by loving family members and dance enthusiasts. Campers performing waited in anticipation knowing that the honor of dancing on a stage like the Wortham Theatre Center could only bring them closer to knowing the magic a trained and accomplish dancer experiences. Although we do not know this for certain, we suspect that as the curtain began to open many of the campers thought to themselves, "Someone pinch me now because on this very stage I, too, will receive a standing ovation!"

The Camp recital offered performance opportunities in modern, jazz, hip hop, social, and cultural dance by dancers ages twelve to seventeen. The program's mission is to foster self-esteem and self-expression while improving dance technique. A three-week intensive workshop and performance, participants take four dance classes a day from seasoned choreographers. During a daily practice session, students receive individual attention from choreographers in addition to working closely within a dedicated community of veteran dancers.

There were 30 young and intense summer campers who performed on Friday, August 21st at the Wortham Theatre Center. In the end, Dance Houston's success could be experienced and seen in the smiles of all performers, in the standing excitement of their families and inspired clapping in their followers. We are very pleased and hold a deep fondness and pride knowing that this year our staff, dance faculty, young performers and their families engaged in our deepest hope that Houston continues to build a relationship of appreciation and love of dance! Well done, campers!

Camp photos are available at reefpix.smugmug.com/Dance-Houston-Dance-Camp and DVDs are for sale at www.dancehouston.org.