Clara, the princess in alexei ratmanskys the nutcracker, olga in onegin, lilac fairy and princess florine in the sleeping beauty, the waltz in. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the houston ballet academy, which trains more than half of the companys dancers. She was appointed a soloist with american ballet theatre abt in august 2007. The academy is the official school of houston ballet, americas fourth largest ballet company, which has been hailed by the new york times as one of the nations best ballet companies. Houston ballets 201920 season will honor 50 years of. Amitava sarkar houston ballet with apologies to pointe shoes, nothing says classical ballet like a tutu. Yuriko kajiya and jared matthews, both soloists with american ballet theatre since 2007, will give their farewell performances with the company on saturday, july 5 at the metropolitan opera house. Houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will visit winstonsalem to take on the roles of the sugar plum fairy and her cavalier prince on wednesday and thursday, december 12 and. For yuriko kajiya, principal dancer of houston ballet, the long hours of class, rehearsals and exercises and having to deal with the resulting pain on a daily basis fade away once she steps on stage.
Houston ballets yuriko kajiya and connor walsh in stanton welchs. Houston ballet principal dancers yuriko kajiya and chun wai chan perform in their roles as odile and prince siegfried in stanton welch ams swan lake. Nutcracker season, free performances at miller outdoor theatre, and our education and community engagement initiatives we endeavor to expand our reach and access to encompass all diverse populations. Kajiya joined american ballet theatres studio company in september 2001. Houston ballet announces new first soloists, jared.
Matthews and kajiya leaving for houston ballet american. Houston ballets giselle principal yuriko kajiya houstonballet. Claras fantasy continues as the sugarplum fairy introduces her to the people of her kingdom. As princess aurora in the sleeping beauty, houston ballet principal yuriko kajiya wears a classical tutu designed to draw attention to her legs. Houston ballet principal dancers yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will perform in uncsas the nutcracker as the sugar plum fairy and the. Houston repertoire ballet sets 16th annual performance of. Houston ballet dancer leaps into mustsee international virtual show. Yuriko kajiya, connor walsh and melody mennite are opening nights scheduled leads, with several casts rotating through the run of the show. On a sunny may afternoon, i found myself spellbound, watching houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya and connor walsh rehearse the very first meeting between giselle and albrecht. Aladdin, works by george balanchine and justin peck, more. She trained at the gustavo franklin ballet school in caracas, venezuela and has danced professionally with ballet national of caracas and tulsa ballet, where she reached the rank of principal in 2007.
Shes already danced the role before, so this years production wont be a. Kajiya showed off incredible strength and control, slowly unfurling her legs and. Houston ballet presented its audience with its own difficult choice between two works by stanton welch ill at ease with one another on the same stage. Eight dancers from across the world join houston ballet.
Houston ballet presents the sleeping beauty at wortham. Desmond heeleys dropdead gorgeous designs and a lively cast of characters create eye candy akin to that of the nutcracker. Houston ballets the nutcracker is just as enchanting as. The ballerinas legacy of giselle en pointe with houston. Houston ballets giselle principal yuriko kajiya youtube. We are particularly thrilled to offer two principal dancers from the houston ballet as guest dancers in our annual production of the nutcracker. Giselle tells a story of love personified houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya and connor walsh enchant at the helm of the season opener. Houston ballet dancer leaps into mustsee international. Yuriko kajiyas turn as an arabian dancer was especially impressive. Giselle tells a story of love personified houstonia.
Houston ballets yuriko kajiya talks about her signature onstage roles and her favorite ice cream flavors. Yuriko kajiya is stanton welchs inspiration for the title role of giselle. Houston ballets yuriko kajiya is a woman of many talents pointe. Houston repertoire ballet will celebrate its 22nd season, beginning with its 16th annual performance series of the nutcracker. New holiday cheer and tradition meet in houston ballets the nutcracker. All boundless joy and bounce as the smitten village girl her albrecht was played by connor walsh, kajiya radiated pure innocence until the mad scene.
Maria kowroski and tyler angle in the rebirth of chaconne. We are treated to a an array of international dances. Most recently, she appeared in a 90minute documentary entitled yuriko. Houston ballet, operated by houston ballet foundation, is the fourthlargest professional ballet company in the united states, based in houston, texas. Guest artists yuriko kajiya and connor walsh, principal dancers with the houston ballet, will star for two performances on dec. The ballet features professional guest artists yuriko kajiya, as.
The school is named after ben stevenson, who served as. The houston ballets yuriko kajiya kprc 2 click2houston. Houston ballet principal yuriko kajiya wowed audiences in her first go in stanton welchs giselle in 2016. Photo by amitava sarkar, courtesy of houston ballet. International ballet megaphenomenon, misty copeland, has put together an allstar swan team for dancer covid19 relief, and houston ballets yuriko kajiya has joined this stunning dance flight. Yuriko kajiya is a japanese ballet dancer who currently performs as a principal with houston. Houston, tx houston ballet announced that eight new dancers will join the company for its 201415 season, including five dancers who are graduates of houston ballet academy. But her performance at the companys season opener this september revealed even deeper levels of meaning. Houston ballet presents two extraordinarily different. Uncsas nutcracker to feature acclaimed guest dancers. The mood then shifts in the hands of yuriko kajiya and christopher. Houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya as princess aurora and charleslouis yoshiyama as prince florimund with artists of houston ballet and students of houston. Principal dancers with the houston ballet yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will dance the sugar plum fairy and her cavalier prince roles, respectively, on dec. Born in aichi, japan, yuriko kajiya began her training at the age of eight.
We do it because we love it and we are able to share our passion and love with the audience during the show, enthuses the ballerina. Yuriko kajiya and jared matthews in giselle with houston ballet, and yurikos moving prayer variation in one of her final appearances in coppelia with abt. Anna rose osullivan on her debut in the nutcracker the royal ballet duration. The principal dancer from the houston ballet stops by the talk about her role in swan lake. Toys come to life in houston ballet artistic director stanton welchs the. How nice to see on the website that yuriko kajiya will be the sugar plum fairy in the opening night performance of nutcracker on nov. Stevensons the nutcracker she was promoted to principle soloist. Uncsas nutcracker to feature dancers yuriko kajiya. Houston ballet stars yuriko kajiya and connor walsh to. Principals yuriko kajiya and charleslouis yoshiyama with other artists of houston balletin the sleeping beauty, the companys most recent and. Onstage this evening, principals yuriko kajiya and chun wai chan perform the iconic sugar plum fairy and nutcracker prince roles.
Houston ballet artistic director stanton welch announced today that jared matthews and yuriko kajiya, currently soloist dancers with american ballet theatre abt, will join houston ballet as. Addons for the upcoming season are houston ballets traditional presentation of the nutcracker by welch, taking the stage november 27december 27 of. Yuriko kajiya as giselle with artists of houston ballet. Check out his creative take on this classic now and dont miss stanton welchs version onstage nov. Yuriko kajiya principal dancer with houston ballet. A houston ballet academy student shared what his version of the nutcracker would look like. Winstonsalem university of north carolina school of the arts uncsa highly anticipated holiday production of the nutcracker, presented by wells fargo, will showcase guest dancers yuriko kajiya as the sugar plum fairy and connor walsh as the cavalier prince for two performances only.
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