Since Leigh started this in a few other forums, I thought I'd create one for Houston.

I'll start off by listing the highlights of the current season for me:

seeing Simon Ball and Mireille Hassenboehler in In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
Sara Webb as Aurora
hearing about Webb's promotion to principal dancer
Welch seems to be doing a pretty good job as the new AD so far

Old Fashioned, I wondered if you saw Sara Webb's performance in "Evening" (the pdd Ben Stevenson made for her to dance in Jackson competition)? I thought that even with a funereal tempo (it's the Rachmaninov Elegy, not the Rachmaninov Dirge) and dreadful piano playing, she was very lovely in it. I thought her legato admirable, and that may not be the first thing one thinks of in her dancing--
also, Leticia Oliveira in Sanguinic, and her Autumn variation in Cinderella? Mireille Hassenboehler's Choleric was INTERESTING...

No, I regret missing out on most of the previous seasons. This is the first time I've gone to see the programs consecutively because I can finally drive myself to the theater district! Thanks for your input, though (I hope you'll write more reviews in the future ).

Is there anything from this season that you've seen that you enjoyed in particular? I wish I could say I'm glad to see Barbara Bears back on the stage, but I haven't actually seen her dance yet this season... I'd also like to add I adored Tyann Clement as Carabosse, and Ilya Kozadayev was superb in the Bluebird pdd.

Sara Webb as Aurora
Bridget Zehr in "In the middle Somewhat Elevated"
Letecia Oliviera as Sugar Plum
Andrew Murphy and Lucas Priolo as Princes in Nutcracker

Oooh, I'm jealous you got to see the cast with Oliveira and Ball. I was planning on going to the 26th matinee performance with them in the leads, but tickets sold out too quickly. What did you think of Ball as the Prince and Clement as Queen (assuming there were no cast changes for those parts)?

I am so glad to hear that Bridgett Zehr made the list!! She seems to be doing very well and I am so happy for her!!

I think that Simon Ball is very good. i've only seen him from the auditence once and he has a different look than the rest of the company men. Clement as Snow Queen doesn't really do it for me but she is a good dancer. I don't think that there were changes that day but I have seen the cast rehearse and theyre one of the most solid. Letecia astounds me everytime I watch her because her coda is almost always flawless and she has the hardest one in my opinion but it shows off her turning skills.

Old Fashioned, unfortunately I have yet to see Bears after her return. I do understand that she did not dance her scheduled Auroras, perhaps due to injury? I'm not in Houston much, so have not seen as much as I'd like. boydancer, I agree, Oliveira is a demon turner and that's much of what dazzled in her Cinderella variation, not to mention the VERY difficult sequences in Sanguinic (which look sooooo much easier than they are.........lol)