Houston Ballet Academy student Liao Xiang welcomes the last steel beam as it isabout to be hoisted.
Photo by Jim Caldwell
Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch, center, addresses the crowd.
Photo by Jim Caldwell
The new ballet building is scheduled to open next spring.
Photo by Jim Caldwell
An unusual pas de deux took place under balmy downtown Houston skies this morning as the last steel beam floated to its final resting place atop Houston Ballet's sparkling new Center for Dance. An adorable Liao Xiang, dressed in her sugar plum finery, waved her magic wand to hoist the beam while a crowd of several hundred ballet enthusiasts looked on. At 18, the 2010 Prix du Lausanne finalist represents the future of the nation's fourth largest dance company.
Houston Ballet reached a milestone in construction of the new $53 million center, scheduled to open in spring 2011. The 20-foot white beam, signed by the entire company, staff, donors, construction workers and friends, landed safely atop the 115,000-square-foot building in a tradition known as a "topping off ceremony." A small pine tree, anchored to the beam, symbolized the life and spirit of the building. The ceremony traces its origin to Finnish and Norwegian traditions beginning in 700 A. D.
The sleek glass and black granite six-story building doubles the ballet's current space on West Gray and will be the largest of its kind in the country, with nine studios and a black box dance lab. "It's built from the inside out," said Houston Ballet managing director C.C. Connor.
Most of the company's 53 dancers attended, including principal Connor Walsh, who will be dancing Balanchine masterwork, Apollo, Thursday night. "It's like putting your hand in cement or stone, our names will forever be a part of the building," Walsh said. "I'm proud to be part of the first company to be dancing in the building. We will be the first to sweat and bleed in it. We will be breaking it in."
Artist director Stanton Welch, looking proud, added, "Houston will forever have a dance center at its heart."
Legendary rockers Styx and Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon, will team up to co-headline the “Brotherhood of Rock” tour in 2025, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, June 6.
The large, 40-city tour will take place over three months, starting in Greenville, South Carolina on May 28, and wrapping up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 24.
In addition to Houston, the tour will go to Austin on June 4 and Dallas on August 1. It will include special guest Don Felder, former lead guitarist for the Eagles, at all dates.
Fans can expect some of the greatest rock anthems of all time, including “Renegade,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Come Sail Away,” “Can't Fight This Feeling,” and “Hotel California.”
Styx and Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, coming together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This will mark their sixth time joining forces on the road.
2022 was the 50th anniversary of Styx's self-titled debut album, but they have yet to slow down. The band released their 17th album, Crash of the Crown, in 2021. Of course, not everyone is a fan, as this classic clip from The Simpsons illustrates.
REO Speedwagon's recording days appear to be done, with their last album coming out in 2009, but the main group of five has been together since 1989. On this tour, Cronin will be joined by REO's lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt.
General tickets for the tour will go on sale starting on Friday, December 13 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.
Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning on December 9 at 10 am through the Citi Entertainment program.
Styx and Kevin Cronin will be offering VIP packages via their own exclusive pre-sales beginning on Tuesday, December 10 at 10 am, as well as at LiveNation.com.