I like my heels and sides to be lower than those of the stock shoes. As princess aurora in the sleeping beauty, houston ballet principal yuriko kajiya wears a classical tutu designed to draw attention to her legs. Founded in 1955, houston ballet academy is one of americas foremost dance training institutions. Yuriko kajiya as the lilac fairy in the sleeping beauty houston ballet, 2016 related categories uncategorized tags ballet, houston ballet, the sleeping beauty, yuriko kajiya post navigation. It lasted a little over an hour, and included kajiyas journey from japan to china to. But her performance at the companys season opener this september revealed even deeper levels of meaning. Principals yuriko kajiya and charleslouis yoshiyama with other artists of houston balletin the sleeping beauty, the companys most recent and possibly final production of the 201920 season. The choreography of beauty, which tchaikovsky composed between swan lake and the nutcracker, reads like a garden of references to ballet and literary history. Houston ballet closes for foreseeable future datebook. Houston ballet principal yuriko kajiya wowed audiences in her first go in stanton welchs giselle in 2016.
Responding to the challenges of the covid19 pandemic, the company is on haitus for the foreseeable future. Kajiya and walsh are principals with the houston ballet. Like the entrepreneurs who founded houston and the achievers who made it great, we at houston ballet dared to dream. Houston ballet artistic director stanton welch announced today that jared matthews and yuriko kajiya, currently soloist dancers with american ballet theatre abt, will join houston ballet as. Houston ballet presents the nutcracker tickets event dates.
During her stay in china, kajiya performed many times on chinese national television. Prior to joining houston ballet, she danced as a soloist with. Nutcracker to feature acclaimed guest dancers yuriko. Houston ballets the nutcracker is just as enchanting as ever. Uncsas nutcracker to feature dancers yuriko kajiya. Yuriko kajiya worked her way to the top of the ballet worldand is inspiring other girls to do the same. Houston ballet will launch the busiest half of its 50th. Kajiya showed off incredible strength and control, slowly unfurling her legs and. At just 15, the texas native has taken home top medals at youth america grand prix and the adcibc, and won the grishko model search.
Nutcracker prince nozomi iijima christopher coomer soo youn cho aaron daniel sharrat clara drosselmeyer sugar plum fairy nutcracker prince melody mennite chun wai chan jacquelyn long charleslouis yoshiyama clara drosselmeyer sugar plum fairy nutcracker prince tyler donatelli charleslouis yoshiyama yuriko kajiya chun wai chan saturday. The lone star state will loan two of its brightest stars to north carolina this year as guest dancers in the beloved uncsa production of the nutcracker. Ballet is a musical and theatrical genre in which several types of arts are closely intertwined. A native of aichi, japan, kajiya trained at the shanghai dance school and national. Yuriko kajiya, connor walsh and melody mennite are opening nights scheduled leads, with several casts rotating through the run of the show. The japanese ballerina who overcame critics to become a star. Matthews and kajiya leaving for houston ballet american. Yuriko kajiya houston ballets sleeping beauty opens. Kajiya joined houston ballet as a first soloist in 2014 and was promoted to principal dancer in november 2014 following her performance as the sugar plum fairy in ben stevensons the nutcracker. Yuriko kajiya s turn as an arabian dancer was especially impressive. Nutcracker to feature acclaimed guest dancers yuriko kajiya and.
Houston ballet principal dancer yuriko kajiya performs in her role as odile in stanton welch ams swan lake. Yuriko kajiya is stanton welchs inspiration for the title role of giselle. Shes already danced the role before, so this years production wont be a complete introduction to giselle. Uncsas nutcracker to feature dancers yuriko kajiya, connor. Nutcracker to feature acclaimed guest dancers yuriko kajiya. Tim rummelhoff houston ballet 7 of 7 artists of houston ballet.
Houston ballet opens 50th season with a knockout giselle. We imagined a worldclass company, a preeminent performing space, an academy and training facility like no other in the. Jan 27, 2020 addons for the upcoming season are houston ballets traditional presentation of the nutcracker by welch, taking the stage november 27december 27 of this year. Houston ballet stars yuriko kajiya and connor walsh to. Sublimely willowy and tenderhearted ballerina yuriko kajiya led the. Photo by amitava sarkar, courtesy of houston ballet. She trained at the gustavo franklin ballet school in caracas, venezuela and has danced professionally with ballet national of caracas and tulsa ballet, where she reached the rank of principal in 2007. Houston ballets 201920 season will honor 50 years of. The ballet features professional guest artists yuriko kajiya, as. Nov 30, 2019 at some point, houston ballet artistic director stanton welch must have decided his company would have its cake and eating it too, resulting in his own take on the nutcracker, one which combines a.
But i have come to houston for nutcracker performances as a guest. May 07, 2014 kajiya starred in the japanese documentaries passion across a continent 2007 and yuriko. Houston repertoire ballet sets 16th annual performance of the. Check out his creative take on this classic now and dont miss stanton welchs version onstage nov. All boundless joy and bounce as the smitten village girl her albrecht was played by connor walsh, kajiya radiated pure innocence until the mad scene. Abt was founded in 1939 by lucia chase and richard pleasant and is recognized as one of the. On a sunny may afternoon, i found myself spellbound, watching houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya and connor walsh rehearse the very first meeting between giselle and albrecht. At some point, houston ballet artistic director stanton welch must have decided his company would have its cake and eating it too, resulting in his own take on the nutcracker. Toys come to life in houston ballet artistic director stanton welchs the. Kajiya joined houston ballet as a first soloist in 2014 and was promoted to. Sleeping beauty is a delicious escape from the ills of.
Take a look at the magic that goes into producing stanton welchs the nutcracker and be sure to experience all the whimsy for yourself nov. As a frequenter of the houston ballet and the nutcracker, i was very excited for a new rendition of the ballet that got me loving the ballet. The mood then shifts in the hands of yuriko kajiya and christopher. Houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will visit winstonsalem to take on the roles of the sugar plum fairy and her cavalier prince on wednesday and. Amitava sarkar houston ballet with apologies to pointe shoes, nothing says classical ballet like a tutu. Houston ballet principal dancers yuriko kajiya and chun wai chan perform in their roles as odile and prince siegfried in stanton welch ams swan lake.
The snow queen and the nutcracker, who is now a handsome prince, dance with the snowflakes in the land of snow, which is arguably the most beautifully haunting aspect of this ballet. Houston ballets yuriko kajiya is a woman of many talents. Principal dancers with the houston ballet yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will dance the sugar plum fairy and her cavalier. Yuriko kajiya kajiya yuriko, born 1984 is a japanese ballet dancer who currently performs as a principal with houston ballet. May 23, 2016 houston ballet principal yuriko kajiya in stanton welchs new production of giselle, june 919 at wortham center. Get to know 15yearold ava arbuckle ava arbuckle is a dancer on the rise. The nutcracker ballet at unc school of the arts is a miracle of. Uncsas nutcracker to feature acclaimed guest dancers yuriko kajiya and connor walsh. In 2012, kajiya received an artistic ambassador award from the government of japan. Houston, tx houston ballet announced that eight new dancers will join the company for its 201415 season, including five dancers who are graduates of houston ballet academy. Houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya as princess aurora and charleslouis yoshiyama as prince florimund with artists of houston ballet and students of houston.
Yuriko kajiya is a principal dancer at the houston ballet. Karina gonzalez is a native of caracas, venezuela and a silver medal winner of the new york international ballet competition in 2007. At ten, she moved to china and became one of the first foreign students to study with and graduate from the shanghai ballet school on scholarship. Im one of the houston methodist athletic trainers for houston ballet im gonna be going over a plyometric training program for those of you guys that are having to figure out how to do class at home. Kajiya joined houston ballet as a first soloist in 2014 and was promoted to principal dancer in november 2014 following her performance as the sugar plum fairy in ben stevenson s the nutcracker. Yuriko kajiya as the lilac fairy in the sleepi ballet. May 08, 2014 houston ballet artistic director stanton welch announced today that jared matthews and yuriko kajiya, currently soloist dancers with american ballet theatre abt, will join houston ballet as. Houston ballet s multifaceted nutcracker is a delicious carnival of mystery and joy. Yuriko kajiyas turn as an arabian dancer was especially impressive. Yuriko kajiya is a japanese ballet dancer who currently performs as a principal with houston ballet. Nov 15, 2017 houston repertoire ballet will celebrate its 22nd season, beginning with its 16th annual performance series of the nutcracker.
Mar 27, 2020 principals yuriko kajiya and charleslouis yoshiyama with other artists of houston balletin the sleeping beauty, the companys most recent and possibly final production of the 201920 season. Houston ballet onstage this evening, principals yuriko. Yuriko kajiya in houston ballet s minneapolis production of swan lake. Yuriko kajiya has 557 photos and videos on their instagram profile. The ballerinas legacy of giselle en pointe with houston ballet. Jun 06, 2016 pacific northwest ballet 1,442,664 views 1. A houston ballet academy student shared what his version of the nutcracker would look like.
We are deeply saddened to share this news with you. Aladdin, works by george balanchine and justin peck, more set. Photo courtesy of houston ballet stanton welch on houston ballet taking it. Born in aichi, japan, yuriko kajiya began her training at the age of eight. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the houston ballet academy, which trains more than half of the companys dancers. Giselle takes center stage at wortham theater houstonia. Houston ballet has been called one of americas best ballet companies by the new york times. We miss them here and will never forget their thrilling and beautiful performances in ratmanskys nutcracker at bam last year. Houston repertoire ballet will celebrate its 22nd season, beginning with its 16th annual performance series of the nutcracker. Winstonsalem university of north carolina school of the arts uncsa highly anticipated holiday production of the nutcracker, presented by wells fargo, will showcase guest dancers yuriko kajiya as the sugar plum fairy and connor walsh as the cavalier prince for two performances only. Houston ballet hb at home carina nasrallah plyometric. Houston ballet opened its 50th season friday with a giselle for the books.
The academy is the official school of houston ballet, americas fourth largest ballet company, which has been hailed by the new york times as one of the nations best ballet companies. Interview with principal dancer yuriko kajiya in swan lake duration. The school is named after ben stevenson, who served as. It has an annual eightweek season at the metropolitan opera house lincoln center in the spring and a shorter season at the david h. Houston ballet principals yuriko kajiya as odette and chun wai chan as siegfried with artists of houston ballet in stanton welchas swan lake. Conductor ermanno florio keeps the action moving, leading the houston ballet orchestra deftly through the scores shifts from brightness to dark drama and pure romance. Ballet dancers leave new york to expand skills here. Native houstonian jared matthews, formerly a soloist with american ballet theatre abt, and japanese ballerina yuriko kajiya, who also performed as a soloist with. Charleslouis yoshiyama trained on scholarship at english national ballet school and at houston ballet s ben stevenson academy. Jun 06, 2018 the principal dancer from the houston ballet stops by the talk about her role in swan lake. Houston ballet principal karina gonzalez performs the.
Onstage this evening, principals yuriko kajiya and chun wai chan perform the iconic sugar plum fairy and nutcracker prince roles. Houston ballets multifaceted nutcracker is a delicious carnival of. Houston ballet awakens royal masterpiece as part of 50th. Yuriko kajiya will lead the opening night cast of houston ballet s run of the nutcracker tomorrow night. Houston ballet principal karina gonzalez performs the seminal sugar plum solo variation in stanton welchs production of the nutcracker. Houston repertoire ballet sets 16th annual performance of. Desmond heeleys dropdead gorgeous designs and a lively cast of characters create eye candy akin to that of the nutcracker. Houston ballets giselle principal yuriko kajiya youtube. Yuriko kajiya sublimely willowy and tenderhearted in the leading role led the strong cast to deliver one of the companys most memorable performances in years. Houston ballets the nutcracker is just as enchanting as. Regrettably, we cannot go forward with this event as originally planned, but hope to have more information about rescheduling soon. When haglund awoke early this morning, his mailbox already contained a report that yuriko kajiya and aaron robison were phenomenal in last nights performance of giselle outdoors under the stars and moon in houston ballet s production at the miller outdoor theater. Houston ballet announces new first soloists, jared matthews. Interview with principal dancer yuriko kajiya in swan lake.
Houston ballet principals connor walsh as price florimund and yuriko kajiya as princess aurora in ben stevensons the sleeping beauty. So, music, dance, painting, dramatic and visual art are combined among themselves, building a. Kajiya starred in the japanese documentaries passion across a continent 2007 and yuriko. Houston ballet announces new first soloists, jared. Jun 10, 2016 yuriko kajiya as giselle with artists of houston ballet. Houston ballet principal dancers yuriko kajiya and connor walsh will perform in uncsas the nutcracker as the sugar plum fairy and the cavalier prince on dec. Eight dancers from across the world join houston ballet for. Houston ballet presents the sleeping beauty at wortham. Houston ballet stars yuriko kajiya and connor walsh to take. Jared matthews will dance the prince in the second evenings performance. Prior to joining houston ballet, she danced as a soloist with american ballet theatre for seven years. Jared matthews was born in houston, texas and received his early ballet training there under the guidance of victoria vittum and gilbert rome. Apr, 2016 kajiya in ben stevensons the nutcracker photo by amitava sarkar, courtesy houston ballet yuriko kajiya, principal, houston ballet. American ballet theatre abt is a classical ballet company based in new york city.
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