Houston Ballet Presents Diverse Fall Productions for September 2025
John Cranko’s Onegin, September 5 – 14, 2025
Houston Ballet is proud to present the return of John Cranko’s Onegin, running September 5 through 14, 2025, at the Wortham Theater Center. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s beloved verse novel Eugene Onegin, it is a poignant and emotionally rich ballet that has captivated audiences for decades.
Set to a deeply expressive score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged by Kurt-Heinz Stolze, Onegin brings 19th-century Russia to vivid life as it explores the timeless tale of love, rejection, and regret. The plot follows Tatiana, a young country girl, who is introduced to Onegin, a worldly aristocrat bored with city life. She falls for him with innocent, unwavering devotion, but he sees only a naive girl lost in romantic fantasies. Years later, fate reunites them, and Onegin longs for the love he once rejected—only to face the tragic consequences of his choices.
“Onegin is a story about timing, about choices, and how we can’t undo the past,” said Reid Anderson-Graefe, internationally renowned ballet director, longtime steward of and the rights holder to Cranko’s work. “Cranko’s choreography captures that ache—the emotional complexity behind every decision the characters make. It’s not just beautiful dancing; it’s theater in motion. The emotions, the relationships, the heartbreak is all there in the movement.”
Schedule:
7 p.m. on September 5, 2025
7:30 p.m. on September 6 &13, 2025
2 p.m. on September 7 & 14, 2025
Rock, Roll & Tutus: A Mixed Repertory Program Bridging Bold Sound and Ballet: September 18 – 28, 2025
Houston Ballet ignites the stage this fall with Rock, Roll & Tutus, a high-energy mixed repertory program running September 18 through 28, 2025, at the Wortham Theater Center. Featuring four expressive and artistically bold works, this vibrant program fuses classical technique with the rhythm of modern life. With choreography from ISHIDA, Christopher Bruce, Jacquelyn Long, and Artistic Director Stanton Welch AM, it’s an unforgettable blend of emotion, music, and movement.
“Being part of this program is such a unique experience—it’s truly a celebration of how versatile ballet can be,” said Jacquelyn Long, Houston Ballet Soloist and choreographer of Illuminate.”To present my first commissioned work with Houston Ballet for our first mixed repertory program this season alongside such powerful and diverse works is incredibly exciting. I’m honored to share the stage with these talented choreographers and dancers, and to be part of a program that pushes creative boundaries while honoring ballet’s roots.”
The program features:
what i was thinking while i was waltzing: Choreographer: ISHIDA| Music: Ezio Bosso
Illuminate: Choreographer: Jacquelyn Long | Music: Oliver Davis
Rooster: Choreographer: Christopher Bruce | Music: The Rolling Stones
Vi et animo: Choreographer: Stanton Welch AM | Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Schedule:
7:30 p.m. on September 18, 2025
7:30 p.m. on September 20 and September 26 – 27, 2025
1:30 p.m. on September 27, 2025
2 p.m. on September 28, 2025
Featured photo and photo courtesy of Houston Ballet unless noted