Houston Ballet’s Stunning Little Mermaid and a Posh Dinner Saluting a Pioneering Black Dancer Set the Stage for a New Season

Houston Ballet delivered a veritable tsunami of spirited dance to Wortham Theater Center as the company presented choreographer John Neumeier‘s fantastical interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The doubleheader season opener on Friday night concluded with a posh dinner on stage honoring beloved former principal ballerina Lauren Anderson, one of the nation’s first Black ballerinas.

A native Houstonian, Anderson joined Houston Ballet at the tender age of 7 and danced for 23 years, becoming a principal dancer in 1990. At the time, she was one of the first Black ballerinas in a leading company anywhere in the world. Ballerinas cannot dance forever, so in 2007 Anderson hung up her toe shoes and joined Houston Ballet’s education and community engagement department.

In the brief program held on the side stage of the Wortham Theater, Houston Ballet executive director Jim Nelson noted of Anderson: “She is the epitome of grace, compassion and power.” Further praise came from Houston Ballet’s artistic directors Julie Kent and Stanton Welch.

“I really want to say that I cannot think of a better place to spend, really, 52 years,” Lauren Anderson says. “Houston Ballet has made a little girl’s dreams from the Third Ward come true.”

Joining the side stage presentation were dinner chairs Mignon and Steve Gill and Fady Armanious and Bill Baldwin. Baldwin and Mignon Gill are members of the Ballet’s board of trustees. The quartet led the evening to record proceeds of more than $325,000.

Also earning special recognition were philanthropists Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, who underwrote the production. In fact, the willowy Beckanne Sisk, who danced as the Princess with brown locks flowing, reminded of Phoebe Tudor, who was a budding ballerina in her early years.

The sold-out throng of 230 moved to the stage where Bergner & Johnson transformed that performance setting into a lovely dinner venue with catering provided by CityKitchen. Joining dinner guests were dancers from the production who basked in the praise for the stunning Little Mermaid performance.

Neumeier was encouraged to make a few remarks to the cocktail-attired throng and pleased all when he issued an invitation to Houston Ballet to join his Baden-Baden dance festival dubbed The World of John Neumeier in 2027.

“I think that in this company from the first day I came to start doing this work, I thought ‘How can we do this work in five weeks? ‘ ” Neumeier says. “Five weeks! A world record. How did we do it?”

“Now that you’ve got it take it and run,” Neumeier  continues. “Take it and go. I think the performance this evening was wonderful. I’ve seen the work many many times. And this was perfect.”

PC Seen: Houston Ballet board chair Kristy Bradshaw and Chris Bradshaw; board president Stephanie Tsuru and Frank Tsuru; executive committee members Hallie Vanderhider with Bobby Dees, Jay Jones with Terry Wayne Jones, Kelley Lubanko with Stephen Lubanko; philanthropist and board member-at-large Margaret Alkek Williams; trustee Lindsey Brown and Chef Chris Shepherd; Bludorn partner Cherif Mbodji and wife Monica Bondi, the owner of Bird on a Perch Pilates and the pilates instructor for members of the Houston Ballet; and ballet patron Beth Muecke in fabulous mermaid-esque costuming.