pointe person

Houston Ballet taps longtime veteran to lead its elite academy

Jennifer Sommers is the academy's new pointe person.

Photo by Amitava Sarkar/Houston Ballet

A familiar face is taking over Houston’s prestigious dance school. Houston Ballet and its artistic director Stanton Welch have announced that longtime veteran Jennifer Sommers will head the acclaimed Houston Ballet Academy.

In this new role, Sommers will oversee all educational programming for Houston Ballet and its academy, including education, training, and community engagement, according to a press release.

Boasting more than a decade with Houston Ballet, Sommers has served as director of education for both the Education and Community Engagement Department and Houston Ballet Academy, per her bio.

Prior to joining Houston Ballet in 2010, Sommers launched a dance program at KIPP Sharpstown College Prep while also teaching and choreographing for the University of Houston.

Previous stops include the faculty of the University of Minnesota Morris from 2005 to 2008, as well as associate director of Raleigh Dance Theatre, and faculty of Meredith College from 2000 to 2005. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance, Performance, and Choreography from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

“I am honored that Stanton has chosen me for this important role and look forward to working even more closely with the talented faculty and staff that comprise Houston Ballet Academy,” said Sommers in a statement. “Our work together will ensure that we deliver on Houston Ballet’s mission to provide superb educational programming that inspires a lifelong love of dance.”

Houston Ballet Academy trains more than 1,000 students each year, producing more than 64 percent of the elite athletes that comprise Houston Ballet’s current professional company. The popular Education and Community Engagement program reaches more than 70,000 individuals in the Houston area annually, per the ballet.

education dance

what about your friends?

Rapidly expanding Houston restaurant group befriends Rice Village with shareable plates and craft cocktails

Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

The menu includes this penne pasta.

A rapidly growing Houston restaurant and bar group will soon arrive in Rice Village. ALife Hospitality is opening FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge on April 1.

Located in the former Mi Luna space at 2442 University Blvd., FRNDS (pronounced “friends”), aims to be a gathering spot for groups. Although ALife is well established with concepts such as Kamp, Lost & Found, and the recently-opened Bungalow Downtown Dining, the new establishment will be its first in Rice Village.

“The space sort of picked us,” ALife partner Junior Martin tells CultureMap. “While looking for new opportunities, we viewed several locations in different areas of the city. After touring the property during the day and at night, it gave us a vision of what was missing from the Rice Village area and from our hospitality offerings to the city of Houston.”

Those offerings begin with a menu of tapas-style shareable plates created by ALife culinary director Mark Holley. Best known for his time at seafood restaurant Pesce and his current role at Davis Street at Hermann Park, Holley’s menu includes Coconut Curry Shrimp Skewers, Crab Avocado Dip, and Red Curry Fried Calamari. Diners will also find truffle pasta, shrimp cocktail, and baby back ribs. For his part, Martin recommends the wagyu dumplings and chicken satay.

“Several of the menu choices are shareable items to enjoy with your friends,” Martin adds. “This fosters a vibe of fellowship with your group and allows [everyone] to explore multiple menu items together.”

FRNDS pairs its dishes with a range of craft cocktails. Highlights include the Pineapple Patron and a popcorn cocktail that comes with a sidecar of kernels.

FRNDS Pineapple Patron cocktail Behold the Pineapple Patron.Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

Renovations to the space include adding royal blue and purple booths, marble bar and table tops, and wood accents.

Rice Village has seen a number of new openings in the past few months, including Navy Blue, the new seafood restaurant from the Bludorn team; Sushi by Hidden, an omakase restaurant from the owners of Hidden Omakase; a new location of Chinese American restaurant the Rice Box; Australian-inspired coffee shop Bluestone Lane; and Eau Tour, a French restaurant from Local Foods owner Benjy Levit.

ALife Hospitality FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge Rice Village openings news-you-can-eat