They had a ball

The 2021 Houston Ballet Ball Home Edition: Having a Ball was held as a virtual soiree, offering a fun opportunity for the nearly 250 guests to “have a ball” at home. Each guest received dinner, drinks, and a holographic, retro-inspired gift bag of disco ball cups, a tie-dye kit, sequin face masks, and more. The program book was made from old vinyl and included a custom playlist for the evening. The program kicked off with a Saturday Night Fever-inspired mashup by Houston Ballet company dancers. Guests enjoyed an exclusive viewing of the premiere of In Good Company, an original work by Stanton Welch filmed during the pandemic. Other performances included Following by first soloist Oliver Halkowich. Ballet Ball Committee members were Fady Armanious, Susan Binney, Kristy J. Bradshaw, Anne Chao, Jo Furr, Gillian Hobson, Jesse H. Jones II, Mark Loveland, Kelley Lubanko, Beth Muecke, Alicia Smith, Leigh Smith, Liliana Soltero, S. Shawn Stephens, Stephanie Tsuru, Phoebe Tudor, Christine Underwood, Hallie Vanderhider, Kelli Weinzierl, and Beth Zdeblick. Honorees were Dr. Marc Boom, Dr. Victor Fainstein, Dr. Joshua Harris, Dr. Vijay Jotwani, and Dr. Kevin Varner. Proceeds support crisis relief efforts and totaled nearly $850,000 in support of the ballet’s dancers, staff, musicians, and academy faculty.

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