Shelby About Town

Reality show winner to headline Ballet Ball, Blondes vs. Brunettes heats up &big shopping discounts from the heart

Eugene Landau Murphy Jr. will headline Houston Ballet's "Aubergine" ball set forFeb. 15 at Wortham Center.
John and Becca Cason Thrash chair the black-tie gala that has a $1 millionfundraising goal.
Photo by Kim Coffman
Greggory and Pat Burk also chair the ballet ball that will be held mid-week forthe first time.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Six months out, the blondes and brunettes are thinking powder puff footballcompetition — even in the salon.
River Oaks Shopping Center hosts the Heart Card initiative March 1-11.
Shops in the Village Arcade also participates in the Heart Card program.

Leave it to Becca Cason Thrash to continually keep her creative juices flowing, particularly when it comes to charitable fundraising. After orchestrating and chairing the highly-successful Houston Ballet's "Dancing With the Houston Stars" and Houston Grand Opera's "Singing With the Houston Idols," she has taken on her duties as Ballet Ball chair with the adrenalin of a Super Bowl coach.

Sharing the role of ball chair with hubby John Thrash and with Greggory and Pat Burk, Becca has divined two exceptional fund-raising additions to the ballet's traditional cache of giving opportunities. With Catherine Anspon as art auction advisor, Becca has rounded up a gallery full of original works for the "Art for Art's Sake" silent auction.

That gem of a fundraiser kicks off at the Cason Thrash home Feb. 9 with a preview cocktail party where the works will be offered at "buy now" prices.

Her second brilliant, and we do mean brilliant, idea was to convince leading jewelers to contribute dazzling cocktail rings to a special silent auction. Becca has close to two dozen lined up — enticing baubles from Harry Winston, Valobra, Katy Briscoe, Judith Ripka, Armenta and others. You can do your post-Valentine's Day shopping on Feb. 15 at the ball in Wortham Theater Center.

With that and the three amazing trips to be offered in live auction, the Cason Thrashes and Burks should have no trouble reaching their goal of raising a record $1 million for Houston Ballet.

Full disclosure: The Ballet Ball honors this columnist. However, these new takes on gala fundraising would have been covered in any event.

This just in

On Monday, Houston Ballet signed up Eugene Murphy Landau Jr., the Frank Sinatra sound-alike winner of last fall's America's Got Talent competition to perform a 30-minute segment during the evening. The dance music will be provided by the popular David Caceres.

You might recall that the late-blooming singer recorded his America's Got Talent album, produced by Steve Tyrell, at Houston's Wire Road Studios.

Gridiron gals

It's one of the zaniest, most fun "football" encounters of the year — the annual Blondes vs. Brunettes powderpuff competition raising money for the Alzheimer's Association Houston. While game day isn't until May 19 on Skip Lee Field at St. John's School, the ladies are gathering on Feb. 9, 6 to 9 p.m., for an early recruiting party at Midtown Drinkery. You can read about the preparations for last year's flag football game here.

Look for Blondes vs. Brunettes co-chairs Cortney Risner and Ashley Riggs on the scene. You might have seen them last year as team captains.

Heartfelt shopping

The American Heart Association — Houston is licking its chops over the prospects of welcome proceeds from the Heart Card initiative, sponsored by River Oaks Shopping Center and the Village Arcade. March 1 through March 11, shops and restaurants in these two shopping meccas will offer savings of up to 40 percent for those carrying the Heart Card.

The $40 Heart Card is available through the AHA Guild (ahaguildhouston.org or 713-610-5005) with proceeds benefiting the women's initiative of the AHA.

The program kicks off Wednesday Feb. 29 at River Oaks Theatre with a fashion show featuring looks from River Oaks Shopping Center stores. On March 10, the Village Arcade will host a fashion event and sidewalk sale.

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Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247