Houston Ballet, WHAT???

I wish I could tell you that I was completely selfless in arranging this tour, but I must say I was equally excited to see the center and meet the world class ballerina- Lauren Anderson, as our personal host.

Lauren began our tour 20 minutes early, because we were all there early---and excited!  She took us from the top down, beginning at the 6th floor.  We were able to peek in on studios on the floor below and watch developing ballerinas and danseurs, yes, that is what  you call male dancers- not ballerinos :). They were color coded by leotard for their level and come from across the world to train here during the summer.  We were even able to see a pas de deux class (dance with male & female).  We got the inside scoop on composers and choregraphers too.  The live pianists were wonderful background noise.

Down, down we went- sometimes crammed lovingly into one elevator.  We saw AND walked on part of the new walkway leading to the Wortham and then made it down to....tah dah! the WARDROBE room.  While the Houston Ballet does have the majority of their thousands of costumes stored in a warehouse- some are kept on site- such as Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, and Giselle.  We were given strict instructions to not touch anything- the oils from our hands can ruin the costumes- yes we are talking $1500-$5000 custom tutus.  Beatiful tutu trees lined with black, teal, and pink tutus were organized in one closet.  We even got to see the sugarplum fairy costumes.

With choreographer permission, we were able to see the Dancer's Lab- a theater type setting with curtains, clocks, seats, and all, which is used for practices and studio series.  We quietly sat in while a choreographer was working with 4 dancers and were able to see a glimpse of beauty in the making.

Lauren was gracious enough to give plenty of hugs, take lots of pictures, and show us many things from each floor.  It was definitely one of the most awesome things I have done and I am so grateful that Lauren took the time to meet and greet our dancers this afternoon.  Lauren mentioned that she would like to come and give a class to our dancers as well, and we are definitely excited about that!

By the end of the afternoon, Lauren had spent over an hour and a half with us instead of the scheduled 30 minutes.  She was such a joy to meet and an inspiration to our group as a whole.  I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with the Houston Ballet. 

In awe and in a very happy ballet place of life,

Leah

Houston Ballet Tour with Lauren Anderson 7.6.12

Better late than never, Our Shining Stars.

"Our Shining Stars" proved to be just as successful, if not more, than our first recital.  The dancers did great during dress rehearsal and even better at recital.  EVERYONE participated, even our smallest dancer who was feeling under the weather.

NONE of it is possible without a wonderful team of volunteers and our stage crew.  BIG shout out to Barbie Rhodies Dance Studio with a backstage crew of Barbie & Mona Rhodes and Lauren Lara.  They are my headset queens- taking  care of any problem as soon as the first word was out of my mouth.

The girls felt really special as they walked along their very own red carpet with their Hollywood Stars.  It is such a honor to put on this event just to see our dancers smile and feel confident about themselves on stage.

This has been a wonderful year and I am very proud of our dancers' accomplishments as well as the diligence and dedication of our Angels and Buddies.   Next year is already being planned,with of course, our recital taking place at The Center for the Arts and Sciences.  While I will be stepping down as an instructor, we have a great team getting geared up to teach our dancers in the fall. Don't worry- I will still be directing the organization and popping into class frequently.  My favorite part of this organization is getting to know the dancers and their helpers, so I am sad to be missing that.  God has directed my path for as long as I can remember and as long as I stay on it- I know good things will happen.  ACTD is one of my greatest ventures and I am ecstatic to see it growing each year.

Thank you for your love and commitment as we once again wrap our year for summer.

**Remember we are always looking for more dancers and willing buddies and angels.  Let us know if you're interested!

Happy Summer!

Leah

Out Under The Trees- Courtesy of Wonderfully Made- a Laurie Heath studio.