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Ghosts, folk tunes & fallen heroes: Houston Ballet's exciting new season keeps dancers on their toes

Romance, dramatic deaths, sex, power, money, politics — one would think that we were talking about an irresistible novela.

But we aren't. These are characteristics of some of the works that will be presented as part of Houston Ballet's 2015-16 season, announced Friday.

Highlights include a world premiere by former Houston ballet dancer Garrett Smith, the revival of Ben Stevenson's The Sleeping Beauty and a new setting of Giselle by artistic director Stanton Welch.

Read on for a season that will keep audiences and dancers on their toes.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon (1974) (Sept. 10-20)

Notable intel: Don't be a purist and hold a grudge against ballet because the story is borrowed from a popular opera. It's a tempting romantic tale that ends in the most delicious way — death. What to watch for? The memorable pas de deux.

Fall Mixed Repertory Program (Sept. 24-Oct. 8)

Notable intel: The program includes a world premiere by former Houston Ballet dancer Garrett Smith, alongside a reprise of Welch's fresh and inventive Tapestry, which the company premiered in 2012, and Christopher Bruce's Ghost Dances (1981), which fuses folk traditions with evocative music by ensemble Inti-Illimani.

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker (Nov. 27-Dec. 29)

Notable intel: Houston Ballet's cash cow courtesy of artistic director emeritus Ben Stevenson and some unknown Russian composer should need no introduction. If it does, you should get out more often.

Jubilee of Dance (Dec. 4)

Notable intel: Think of this yearly program as an artsy soirée that programs a melange of audience favorites — Houston Ballet's greatest hits. The evening is often when longtime company members who are retiring offer their final bows, making this jubilee an emotional one for balletomanes.

Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty (1990) (Feb. 25-March 6, 2016)

Notable intel: As a greeting to artistic director emeritus Ben Stevenson in light of his 80th birthday, the Houston Ballet revives this magical fairytale by that unknown Russian composer responsible for The Nutcracker.

Winter Mixed Repertory Program (March 10-20, 2016)

Notable intel: In Jerome Robbin's West Side Story portion of the trio of ballets, dancers will sing tunes from the iconic Broadway music. The evening also includes Dyad and Wings of Wax.

Spring Mixed Repertory Program (May 26-June 5, 2016)

Notable intel: Three contemporary ballet works including a Houston Ballet premiere comprise this playbill that programs George Balanchine's Serenade (1934), a classic tour de force; Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Gloria, which honors young men who died in World War I; and Alexander Ekman's Cacti, a tongue-in-cheek work that pokes fun at contemporary dance.

Adams' Giselle (June 9-19, 2016)

Notable intel: This haunting and charming story gets a new treatment by Welch, with costumes and sets by Roberta Guidi di Bagno. The ghostly tale is complemented by Welch's Velocity, which he created on the company in 2006.

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Subscriptions to Houston Ballet's 2015-16 start at $171 and will be available for sale starting Feb. 16. Packages can be purchased by calling 713-227-2787 or online.

Connor Walsh, Sara Webb and Houston Ballet artists in Ben Stevenson's The Sleeping Beauty.

Photo by Amitava Sarkar

Connor Walsh, Sara Webb and Houston Ballet artists in Ben Stevenson's The Sleeping Beauty.

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Remembering the Flood

Texan wins Pulitzer Prize for heartbreaking story of Guadalupe flood

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Aaron Parsley has won a Pulitzer Prize for "Where the River Took Us," published days after the flood.

Many Houstonians know someone who was impacted by the July 4, 2025 flood that killed more than 100 people. But one story cut through the chaos with an emotionally raw, first-person view of what actually happened. Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley published his survival story in "Where the River Took Us." On Monday, May 4, he has won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

The prestigious journalism award has 23 winners each spring. For features, the judges chiefly consider "quality of writing, originality and concision."

"Where the River Took Us," brought readers moment-by-moment from Parsley's family house on the Guadalupe River, to family members including Parsley rushing down the river itself, to reunification for most of the family and grief for his 20-month-old nephew, Clay, who drowned.

Parlsey renders each scene with arresting detail, recalling dialog and individual pieces of refuse raging past in the water: branches, furniture, a car with headlights still on. Adding to the immersion were photographs by Jordan Vonderhaar and Parsley's family. Published just days after the flood, the account was one of the first deep looks at what happened for readers who had only seen general news coverage and disorganized posts on social media.

“In a matter of hours, Aaron uncovered the singular experiences of family members wrenched from one another and thrown into a raging flood," said Texas Monthly editor in chief Ross McCammon in a story announcing the Pulitzer award. "He then braided those stories together to convey what a tragedy of this sort actually feels like. This is a deeply reported story of horror, courage, and love, and it is one of the finest magazine stories ever written.”

“I am grateful to my family for trusting me and to everyone at Texas Monthly for offering their support, talent, and meticulous care during the process of writing, reporting, and all that goes into putting this story into the world,” said Parsley. “It means everything to me, and I’m deeply proud to be a part of the Texas Monthly team.”

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