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Houston Ballet II with Students from Chautauqua School of Dance
August 04, 2025
Program


TWILIGHT 
PAS DE DEUX 

Choreography by Ben Stevenson O.B.E. 
Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) 

Madison Brown 
Joan Sempere Martinez 


PARODIE DE L’HISTOIRE DU BALLET 

Generously underwritten by Kent and Shara Schaffer 
Choreography by Jindallae Bernard 
Music by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) 
Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28 
for Violin and Orchestra 
Costume Design by Holly Hynes 
Lighting Design by Lisa J. Pinkham 

Yu-Chia Chang, Lucy Kaplan, Ayumi Kobayashi, Lexi Utz 
Nathaniel Geis, Peyton Gue, Aaron Orton, Alex Westerman 


  -INTERMISSION-


SPARROW 

Generously underwritten by Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees 
Choreography by Stanton Welch AM, for Mark 
Music by Simon & Garfunkel 
Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) 
Cecilia 
Scarborough Fair/Canticle 
Baby Driver 
The Only Living Boy in New York 
Sparrow 
A Hazy Shade of Winter 
Lighting Design by Lisa J. Pinkham 

Madison Bevilacqua, Madison Brown, Yu-Chia Chang, Nathaniel Geis, Sienna Going, Peyton Gue, Lucy Kaplan, Ayumi Kobayashi, AvaGrace Mazuchowski, Aaron Orton, Joan Sempere Martinez, Lexi Utz, Alex Westerman, Shinnosuke Yassumi, Garrett Yut 

Students from Chautauqua School of Dance: 
Catherine Ball, Eva Bendesky, Emerson Boll, Chanell Botha, Emerson Butler, Caroline Cochrane, Noa Dean, Daisy Feinstein, Sophie Giplin, Phoebe Gray, Maya Jackson, Sejal Janaswamy, Cecelia Johnson, Josie Kirk, Bess Millard, Sofia Niebuhr, Chloe Oronoz, Lucy Shultz, Ryan Smallwood, Emma Tucker, Stanley Cannon, Jeffrey Davis, Jasiah Doyle, Devdan Ferguson, Kale Jette, Bruno Khilkin-Secches, Joshua Randall, Greg Trechel, Ellis Wolf-Annunziata 


CECILIA 

Houston Ballet II & Students from Chautauqua School of Dance 


SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE 

Madison Brown, Yu-Chia Chang, Lucy Kaplan, 
Ayumi Kobayashi, AvaGrace Mazuchowski 


BABY DRIVER 

Shinnosuke Yassumi 


THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK 

Madison Bevilacqua, Nathaniel Geis, Sienna Going
Aaron Orton, Alex Westerman, Garrett Yut

 


SPARROW 

Joan Sempere Martinez 


A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER 

Houston Ballet II & Students from Chautauqua School of Dance





About Houston Ballet II

Houston Ballet II is the second company of Houston Ballet, America’s fourth-largest ballet company. Comprised of a stellar array of ballet students from around the world, Houston Ballet II members perform a diverse range of works, including excerpts from great classics like The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker, Balanchine ballets, and contemporary works by Houston Ballet Artistic Director, Stanton Welch AM.

The mission of Houston Ballet II is three-fold; to provide students the opportunity to dance leading roles in varied repertoire, to allow dancers to develop technically and artistically through performance experience, and to serve the greater Houston community by providing quality, professional performances. The visibility of the excellent training in Houston Ballet II supports the growth of the professional company at large. 

Under the direction of Julie Kent and Stanton Welch AM, Artistic Directors, and Jennifer Sommers, Director of the Academy, Houston Ballet II dancers are led by internationally acclaimed coach and teacher Claudio Muñoz, Ballet Master for Houston Ballet II and Houston Ballet’s artistic staff. Houston Ballet II tours nationally and internationally. Most recently, they performed along the East Coast in a multi-city tour presenting classical and contemporary work. 


Artistic Directors
Julie Kent & Stanton Welch AM

Director of the Academy
Jennifer Sommers

Academy Artistic Associate Director 
Yahudi Castañeda 

Houston Ballet II Ballet Master 
Claudio Muñoz 

Principal Academy Instructor 
Kelly Myernick 

Ballet Master 
Hayden Stark 

Artists of Houston Ballet II 
Madison Bevilacqua, Madison Brown, Yu-Chia Chang, Nathaniel Geis, Sienna Going, Peyton Gue, Lucy Kaplan, Ayumi Kobayashi, AvaGrace Mazuchowski, Aaron Orton, Joan Sempere Martinez, Alexander Stevens, Lexi Utz, Alex Westerman, Shinnosuke Yassumi, Garrett Yut 

Stage Manager 
Morgan Brochu 

Touring Sponsors 
Houston Methodist 
The Fayez Sarofim & Co. Touring Fund 
Bank of America 

Acknowledgements 
General Counsel: Vinson & Elkins, LLP 
Immigration Attorneys: Foster, LLP 
The Dancers and Stage Managers of Houston Ballet are represented by The American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO. 
Houston Ballet is a member of Dance/USA 
Touring Representation: IMG Artists 

CONTACT 
Houston Ballet Academy 
601 Preston 
Houston, Texas 77002 
houstonballetacademy.org 
@houstonballetacademy 

Chautauqua School of Dance

Artistic Director 

Sasha Janes 

Managing Director 
Janice Wells 

Lighting Designer and Stage Manager 
Jenni Propst 

Administrative Assistant 
Sarah Yoak 

Costume Designer and Director 
Jessica Toby Lustig 

Costumes 
Emily Kruger, Catherine Roof, Jamie Mattheus, Brianna Matson 

Pianists 
Kazuko Adachi, Cristina Bedoya, Alice Hargrove