Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy is a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

training school affiliated with the

Houston Ballet Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year. History Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967) Houston d ...

. The academy is housed in

Houston Ballet Center for Dance Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year. History Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967) Houston dev ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

History

In 1955, the Houston Ballet Academy was established under the leadership of

Tatiana Semenova Tatiana Semenova (July 17, 1920–September 24, 1996) was a Russian-born ballet dancer and dance teacher. She was the founding director of the Houston Ballet Academy. Semenova was born in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), Russia, but moved wit ...

, a former dancer with the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its ...

. In July 2003, Houston Ballet Academy was renamed Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy in honor of Ben Stevenson, former artistic director of the professional company and director of the academy.

Divisions

Main School Division

Children age seven and older may audition for admission into Levels 1-8 of the Main School program. Auditions are held twice a year. Students follow a structured sequence of training stages designed to increase their technical skills, stamina and discipline in accordance with their age and physical development.

Pre-Professional Division

Houston Ballet II (HBII) is the top level and pre-professional division of the Academy, and students attend daily class taught by instructors from both the Academy and the Houston Ballet company.

External links

* {{coord, 29.901196, -95.621352, display=title Houston Ballet Ballet schools in the United States Private schools in Houston Dance in Texas