KEY Magazine Fort Worth

Two For Texas – A Love Story
by Don Patterson

Valentine's Day kindles romance and on February 11, 12 and 13, 2005, Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall will help fan the flames. The illustrious Texas Ballet Theater will offer a treat beyond imagining that promises to awaken the romantic side of even the most lethargic lover. The dance group will present "Five of Hearts," a mixed reportorial program designed to celebrate Valentine's Day. The program offers five separate ballet performances, each telling a different story. Ben Stevenson O.B.E., the theater's artistic director, describes the program: "The first ballet is called Five Poems. It is the last one I choreographed for the Houston Ballet Theater. It was performed to music by Wagner that I always liked and that really inspired me. I invited the actress, Jane Seymour, to create some simple designs for this presentation. It was the first she had ever designed and it was wonderful working with her."

The second, third, and fourth ballets are pas de deux (for two), entitled Vivaldi, Don Quixote, and Prelude. The Vivaldi is taken from a piece Stevenson choreographed for a gala performance at the Sadler's Wells theatre in London. Don Quixote is the exciting pas de deux from the popular ballet of the same name, choreographed by Marius Petipa, music by Leon Minkus. Prelude is the first ballet Stevenson choreographed professionally, and is performed to the music of Sergei Rachmaninov. It was presented several years ago at the Bob Hope Theatre in Dallas.

The concluding ballet is a collaboration between Stevenson and choreographer, Bruce Wood. "Wood has very daringly set the music of Tchaikovsky from Ballenchine's famous ballet Theme In Variation to this piece, he calls Rheology," Stevenson said. "This is the first time Wood and I have worked together."

"The ‘Five of Hearts' program is focused on love and romance," Stevenson explained. "Yet it presents different aspects of dance, different varieties, and different styles. This program has proven to be more popular each year. It's a unique program that features short ballets. Sometimes people stay away from new works such as these because they are not a Swan Lake or something with which they are familiar. This program attracts a crowd and I'm very excited about its popularity."

Stevenson's excitement is justly earned. His credentials are a history of artistic endeavors and accomplishments. Over the past twenty-seven years, he nurtured Houston Ballet from a small provincial ensemble to one of the nation's largest dance companies that has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world. For his contributions to the world of international dance, Stevenson was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year's Honors List in December 1999. In April 2000, he was presented with the Dance Magazine Award, one of the most prestigious honors on the American dance scene. Stevenson is one of the most original figures in the development of regional ballet in America. He was awarded the Adeline Genee Gold Medal, the highest award given to a dancer by the Royal Academy of Dancing. At the age of eighteen, he performed with Alicia Markova in Where the Rainbow Ends and soon after was invited to join the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet.

In 1976, Stevenson was appointed artistic director of the Houston Ballet, and built Houston Ballet into one of America's leading ballet companies. Stevenson's own choreography includes the full length works Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, an original production of Peer Gynt (which opened Norway's Bergen Festival Gala in 1983), Coppelia, Don Quixote, and original productions of Dracula, The Snow Maiden, and Cleopatra.

In 2003, Ben Stevenson became artistic director of Texas Ballet Theater. "I was considering retiring when the company asked if I would assist them and help find a new director," Stevenson recalled. "In a short time they invited me to sign a three-year contract. I decided I would once again enjoy the nurturing process. I want to get the community excited about dance, particularly our young people. Dance has no language problems, and anyone can understand it."

Stevenson and Texas Ballet Theater make a remarkable couple. They have forged a unique partnership based on a common desire – to give Texas an extraordinary ballet experience and to provoke an interest in dance. It's been said that "good things come in threes" yet Ben Stevenson is serving only his second year as artistic director of the theater. Imagine what this immensely talented duo might offer next year.

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