(371) Julie Kent and Stanton Welch, Artistic Directors of Houston Ballet
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Houston Ballet's Artistic Directors, Stanton Welch and Julie Kent. Stanton looks back on 20 years leading the Houston Ballet, while the two of them give us an inside look at what their shared leadership roles mean to both them and the organization at large, while also offering a glimpse into what audiences can expect from the company this season and into the future. If you are in the Houston area and would like to purchase tickets to Houston Ballet's 2023-24 season, visit houstonballet.org.
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TRANSCRIPT
This transcript was generated automatically. It’s accuracy may vary.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:00:00]:
I'm Rebecca King Ferraro.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:00:55]:
And I'm Michael Sean Breton. And you're listening to conversations on Dance. On today's episode of Conversations On Dance, we are joined by Houston Ballet's artistic directors Stanton Welch and Julie Kent. Stanton looks back on 20 years leading the Houston Ballet while the two of them give us an inside look at what their shared leadership roles mean to both of them and the organization at large, while also offering a glimpse into what audiences can expect from the company this season and into the future. If you are in the Houston area and would like to purchase tickets to Houston Ballet's 20 23 24 season, visit houstonballet.org. Stanton and Julie, thank you both for joining us this afternoon. We are so excited to talk to both of you about this incredible collaboration you have going on at Houston Ballet right now. We've been lucky enough to have both of you on in the past, but Julie, as we were discussing before we got on the call, it's been seven years since we last talked to you, and it's kind of a funny thing to think about because it was very early days for us.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:02:03]:
I think you were probably, I mean, one of our 1st 20 interviews, and now we've done over 350 or something. But it was also a very different time for you. You were just at the beginning of your post at Washington Ballet, so I was wondering if you could just talk a little bit about what your first experience was like directing a company and how it met or shifted your expectations. And it's a lot to get in in one question, but just give us a little overview.
Julie Kent [00:02:34]:
Yeah, I'm trying to think about what my expectations were. It feels like a lifetime ago. I'm sure it kind of feels like before you have kids, after you have children, you don't even remember what you did before you had children. You don't know what you did with your time. It's like wondered it. Yeah. You know, I I when I really think big picture, what I got so much out of that experience that I wouldn't have even known, that I would never have anticipated. I learned so much that it's like, you don't know what you don't know, right?
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:03:29]:
Yeah.
Julie Kent [00:03:30]:
And so I couldn't have anticipated the things that I learned that I didn't even know that there was there to learn, which is great. As far as big part of I think what I talked to you about was my desire to be the person that says yes, to be the person that does something because they're afraid to leave. As you know, I walked into the doors of Abt when I was 16, and for 30 years, I had the same lockers, I had the same colleagues. I mean, obviously, people came and left, but that was my entire life until I was 46 years old. And so to have the courage to leave, that was a really big decision. And a lot of the reason why I did it was really to show my kids that you got to have courage in life and that you have to have believe in yourself. And that if I was going to give that kind of advice to them, that I better have the guts to give it to myself and take it. And what I really came to remember is all those profound reasons and wanting to make a difference, to make a contribution in the artistic and cultural landscape of the nation's capital, all of those sort of profound reasons, I just kept reminding myself that nowhere on the list was, and it's going to be easy, and it wasn't.
Julie Kent [00:05:31]:
But all of the things that I learned, the people that I met, the contributions that I made, and the experience as a family, working with my husband in a whole different kind of way, and how the environment that my children experienced for seven years was really formative and positive and wonderful. And I'm really grateful that I had the experience and that I did have the courage to make that decision.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:06:08]:
Is there one thing that you achieved there that you feel most proud of, looking back?
Julie Kent [00:06:14]:
I'm never a one thing kind of person.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:06:17]:
A few even better.
Julie Kent [00:06:23]:
I'm very proud of the work that the impact that we had on the school and the community in relationships that I made and developed with the historically black ballet schools in Washington, DC area, which are many and which I didn't know about at all before I came to Washington. And so discovering much more about the history of ballet in Washington, DC. Besides the Washington Ballet, and understanding how all of those organizations played a very important role in ballet over 75 years, not just ten or 1520 years, but for parallel histories. And how incorporating that history into the entire artistic tapestry of Washington, DC. Was really important, because a lot of those stories weren't being told or celebrated or at all incorporated into the ballet culture scene in DC. And so that was a really important part of what I felt like. I put a lot of my intention and focus on the expansion of the repertoire, the development of the dancers, the experiences, the touring that we did, and the culture shift. I am a real believer in the art form, and I put that at the top of Pyramid or it's at the front of the ship always because I believe in yeah, those are a few highlights.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:08:30]:
Yeah.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:08:31]:
I love that you led with your push for those historically black schools that are associated with Washington Valley because we've had on two educators, Monica Stevenson and Damian Johnson, who were, know, excited about everything you were doing there. They were working for you and had just the nicest things to say. So we can link to those episodes if people want to hear more gushing for Julie Stanton, we kind of have, I guess, a similar question for you, kind of just giving us a reflection on what is now a super important celebratory year for you. You've been at Houston Ballet as director for 20 years. That's an incredible milestone. And yeah. So I think we'd just love to hear a little bit about what your expectations were at the beginning. You had obviously worked with the company prior to being put at that post, but what did you come in thinking you wanted to achieve? And now, 20 years later, how do you feel about that?
Stanton Welch [00:09:33]:
I think for me, a large portion of it was that Ben had created and James before Ben, a company that was really focused on creating new work and that the choreographer was as important a part of that conversation as the dancers. And so when I first started working here with Ben, I really felt that concentration from the company and they were very dedicated in the rehearsal room. So for me, it was about making sure that that didn't leave the Dancescape. There aren't many choreographer based companies and there aren't many companies that really have that kind of focus. So for me, that was super important to maintain and to grow. And that what does that mean? And it means many things beyond just having great dancers and the focus in the room. That is a given. And that was here when I arrived.
Stanton Welch [00:10:27]:
But it was the production value, the music value, the sense of rehearsal that you can do a tech rehearsal or a dress rehearsal, have several hours of thought and rework and rehearsal prior to the next rehearsal. Those kind of really special things about Houston Ballet I thought were really important to fight for and to make them sort of our mission was or my mission initially was to create an Eden for creation. So what does that need to have in it? And it needs to be fertile and everything that they touch and think about is there. That doesn't mean an unlimiting no. It means sometimes there's lots of no's, but it's really that investigation of trying to not make that be the case. And I think that the company really has really been that focused. I love when choreographers arrive, be it John Newmeyer or Justin Peck or someone new, young starting their careers, that they can feel that intensity in the room. And then as a creator, that sort of liberates you.
Stanton Welch [00:11:37]:
I feel like even as the director, I have to make myself run to keep up with the company because they're ready to do more and go further. And I need to be prepared like that, too. And that, I think, is really inspiring and creates good work, because often companies don't support the creation as well as they should. They do with the great dancers and maybe a great designer, but it takes a lot more than that to make the show great. So they were important to me. And then moving into the new building and getting away from where we were, I think really changed us from feeling more provincial into something really world class, and that the theater has always been that way, but our building is that way. Our school has escalated. I feel all those things were part of the plan, but they don't feel done, of course.
Stanton Welch [00:12:30]:
They don't feel any wedding done. And that's just kind of dancer brain. I can do more. I can do more. Yeah, so that's that cycle for me. But I did think it was important that there was a place that you felt that the creation of work was really a focus. It was really something that everyone was coming to and giving everything their real everything. Yeah.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:13:01]:
I think it's interesting that you mentioned it was already rare or becoming more rare 20 years ago to have a choreographer at the helm of a company. But I can think of companies then. And now I just try to do, like, a quick rundown in my head and I'm drawing blanks. It's really maybe just you. And then I think that now that this new era with Julie at your side, you guys working in tandem is kind of allowing you to almost double down on that identity that now you can even continue to focus even further on that aspect of Houston Ballet's identity.
Stanton Welch [00:13:40]:
Exactly. And I think know our jobs in the last four or five years have really changed. There's no doubt about that. I think any director would say, what workplaces are required are different. I think it's great to have companionship and also just what is it called, the life work balance that we hear all the time that we're looking for, for the people that work. And I think that people keep forgetting that directors and choreographers and that and COVID was one of the roughest periods of my life for my art form. And I really struggled seeing people that I love and admire struggling. And it was just not something everyone was sort of talking about.
Stanton Welch [00:14:28]:
And I felt like this, to me, just seemed to make sense. It felt like support it felt like, I know Julie's warmth and that radiance that she can bring. I think it just felt like it's better to share it. It certainly doesn't need to be one person. I'm being the bodyguard behind the beauty that can be the beast.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:14:58]:
I also think it's so nice that you guys know this is an audio platform, but we're looking at you guys sitting next to each other. I just think it's so nice. We can tell you have a nice camaraderie. I just, like, talk about rare. I feel like that's also quite rare to have this kind of shift in the way the company is being run to a joint position and being happy about it.
Stanton Welch [00:15:19]:
Yeah. I was thinking the other night about how much I loved partnering because you were there and you felt just involved and you were really there, but there was someone else there that you were focusing on making correct and giving everything to. And then it feels like you're giving rather than seeking for yourself. And that actually, I find, makes me stronger and more determined in a way, because it's defensiveness for not just, hey, this is how I want it. It can be something bigger than that. And I think that that's great. And I think a male female energy is great, and I think different personality types is great. And as we're trying to find organizations for the dancers to have different people to connect to, then the more people there are to connect to, I think is also better.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:16:11]:
Feeling like we're solving the ballet world's.
Stanton Welch [00:16:13]:
Problems here, but we're talking about creating them, maybe.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:16:18]:
Well, at least there'd be new problems.
Stanton Welch [00:16:20]:
Hey.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:16:23]:
Maybe we could talk a little bit about how you first met and when you first worked together. I loved reading in the press release about it because I'm pretty sure I was here in New York for the premiere of this work. So maybe you can talk a little bit about it. I think I came over as a student to see it.
Julie Kent [00:16:43]:
Well, it was the fall of 2001, and Abt was on tour in Kansas City, and we got news of the attacks at the World Trade Center. And so all the flights were grounded and Abt took a bus across the country. We had performances in San Diego and then in Berkeley, and then in Seattle, and that's where we were meeting Stanton, who was going to start choreographing the ballet. That was going to become clear. And, yeah, I'll never forget that first rehearsal. I'd heard a lot about Stanton. He was from Australia. My mother's from New Zealand.
Julie Kent [00:17:34]:
So I already have an affinity for people from that part of the world. And it was a very vulnerable time in the world. We were all grieving and so unsure about everything and also not finding words to express, which makes why we're all dancers anyway is because we don't need them. And then I just remember that first rehearsal and the first movement that we did was yeah, the Potter did. We started with An, Helmy and Stanton, and the first movement, which is like wiping tears away. I think we finished that product very quickly there in Seattle and then went back to New York and pieced it all together and premiered it at City Center. And just last week, Houston Ballet was part of Fall for Dance and we performed clear back in the studios at City Center on stage. And so it was a lot of full circle moments, and there were other members of the original cast in the audience.
Julie Kent [00:18:55]:
So that was so it was a really special time for us. Stancha and I are the same age, so that has you know, there there were it's interesting how environmental experiences, like, going through the same things in life at the same age, really. Do you automatically connect and understand what it was like growing up, being a teenager during the Cold War and when there was East Germany and the Soviet Union and the bombings in Ireland and no Internet, the information superhighway wasn't even an idea, no cell phones, what it was like. And I don't feel like we're that old, but no, you're not. Different worlds. Really different. Anyway. Yeah, we've maintained our friendship over all these years and then really reconnected during COVID when this whole thing, this zoom situation became a thing.
Stanton Welch [00:20:17]:
Well, I'm going to be a bit more of a stalker because, of course, I watched Julie in the movie Dances when I was before I started ballet. I was maybe 16 and had that VHS for a very long time.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:20:32]:
Of course, our generation saw her in center stage all the time.
Stanton Welch [00:20:35]:
Right?
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:20:37]:
We're with you on that.
Stanton Welch [00:20:38]:
Yeah. So I knew coming in that Anhal and Julie were the two dancers that I asked to have in the piece. So I'd had that focus. So I was a bit more starstruck with Julie when I first met her than the reverse situation.
Julie Kent [00:20:57]:
I didn't know any of that.
Stanton Welch [00:21:02]:
New York, we were the only two people on the plane, do you remember? And that was right after it was the flight starting to open up again, and we both flew back, like on an overnighter, like a red eye or something. And I just remember sitting on the plane like that and it was empty and it was just a strange.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:21:24]:
So I like the story of that connection. I wonder, when did the initial idea come up to potentially have a co artistic director?
Stanton Welch [00:21:34]:
I sort of talked a little bit about with Julie, about coming down. We joked a little bit about it, like, oh, I'd love and then one time I joked about it and she was so fast in her response. And then I was like, oh. And then I went to Jim and I said, I think that meeting our money people, and I was like, I think that this could just this is what it yeah. And then within two or three weeks, we had made it. Yeah, I think it was all good. It didn't have any long gestation period. We have worked with Jonathan and Wendy.
Stanton Welch [00:22:19]:
You see Tamara arriving with I can't remember the lady's name, but I mean, I do think that as the meeting requirements for directorships just went through the roof to have somebody else there and we started really, I think, supporting each other during the COVID times with, oh, my God, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? Just back up that. And it felt good. And I know when I went to do the piece at Know, julie's family is very Norman Rockwell painting and you feel very warm and fuzzy. And I thought, wouldn't that be great to have? That was it came quickly, I think, but we talked about it a little bit before.
Julie Kent [00:23:05]:
I think there's decades of trust and love, and that's what I've always had with my partners. And, I mean, you all know who I've danced with and I have that kind of very intimate trust in the people that I work with. And so it feels like home. I believe in Stanton and he believes in me, and we really trust each other and love each other and want each other to be in a position where we can both continue to fulfill our potential. And that's the environment we want to create for others as well. But it's also, like he said, it has to be for us, too, because we're all keepers of the flame. The flame is the so.
Stanton Welch [00:24:07]:
And I think certainly as a ballet parent and you feel like a ballet parent, as a director, it's great to have I mean, what a know, I brought the Brady Mum down to mix with, you know, I felt so great for the dancers here to have the experience with Julie. I thought that that really felt like something special and unique and feminine and warm and how are you? Where are you from? And all those things which we get lost in in the business a bit. And Julie is good at that with grounding you and making you feel like a person again, before you talk about how do you raise the money to.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:24:49]:
Do the thing, maybe we could delve into that sort of thing a little bit more. I mean, you mentioned how the sort of responsibilities for artistic directors has really ballooned. Whenever I hear about people wanting to apply for that position, I just think that it sounds scary because it feels like we get further and further away from the art component. The way that I often view them is like that poor artistic director just having to go out there and bail the company out from a COVID disaster or natural disaster, whatever is happening. And now I think having both of you on board should allow you both to focus more on the art of your directorship. So maybe we can hear how you're splitting some of the duties. And if you already feel a little bit relieved not having to just sit in boardrooms all day, you can share that now.
Julie Kent [00:25:46]:
I think kind of exactly what you said at the beginning and what our intention is, is to allow time and space for us to really lean into our strengths and so that everybody can get the best from both of us. And it's going to change over time. And I am so impressed with Houston Ballet, like, wowed, in so many ways. And this is coming from somebody who spent their whole life living in a ballet company. And I've also danced a lot of places outside of the US. And so, obviously, my home was at ADT, but I danced at a lot of different places, so I've seen a lot of different waters to swim just every day. I am so impressed. It's not just how exceptional the dancers are, how wonderful the productions are, how impressive the building in the theater, but how many really interesting and insightful young professionals work in all different departments here, and how invested the community is in the success and the health of the organization, how much they believe in its power to impact and positively contribute to the people of Houston.
Julie Kent [00:27:22]:
And then in going outside the ramifications, outside the Houston community nationally, globally. And all of that to somebody again, who has just this is my life. To see it working at such a high level is so inspiring to me. And so I'm just so grateful that it works right. And it hasn't just gotten this way. People have worked for it for a really long time, but they've done it really well. And they've built the foundation and they built the infrastructure, and they believe because they really believe in it. And that is what I mean.
Julie Kent [00:28:24]:
I'm so honored to be a part of it. And, yeah, that's my share. What was the original question?
Stanton Welch [00:28:36]:
I just kept thinking, Ferrari, Ferrari.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:28:42]:
How you're splitting up? Kind of like sharing your responsibilities.
Julie Kent [00:28:45]:
Well, Stanton's just choreographed the most beautiful ballet. Oh, my gosh. I cannot wait.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:28:52]:
Tell us all about it.
Julie Kent [00:28:54]:
You want me to tell anything? And it is so beautiful. And it's his 20th anniversary Jubilee celebration. So the first act will be highlights of many of the ballets that he choreographed here at Houston Ballet over the past 20 years. And then the second act is three world premieres by dancer choreographers that he has developed and nurtured since they were in the school. Two women and one young man. And then the third act is this tchaikovsky piano Concerto number one. And I mean, I was amazed. I was really kind of speechless of how beautiful and how he just one dancer after the next came out and did these solo variations that were so that made all of their brilliance shine so brightly, their unique qualities.
Julie Kent [00:30:06]:
And then all of the ensemble work and how the dancers worked together and helped each other and the camaraderie and the determination. I mean, all these things that they all did so naturally. And there was no drama. There was no, like, so hard. And it was so hard.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:30:34]:
They're like, we got this, no problem.
Julie Kent [00:30:36]:
But they're like, okay, this is what we do. And he's been able to produce that in the last few months.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:30:48]:
When will that be happening?
Julie Kent [00:30:51]:
December 1.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:30:52]:
Very exciting.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:30:53]:
Danton, can you talk about the process a little bit? So I used to be obsessed with the Van Clyburn recording concerto. It's so beautiful. And so I'm super excited that you chose it. I feel like a lot of choreographers shy away from it because they do pretty iconic piece of music, but why not? It is very danceable. So what was your process? And can you kind of set the scene for us? Tell us a little bit about what audiences will be seeing.
Stanton Welch [00:31:20]:
Sure. So it's designed by Holly Hines, who I think you guys know also. And it's very simple. The idea was just a lot like Symphony and Sea or Sweet on Blanc or a work that reflects the company at its current time. So the quarter ballet is all in white tutus, and the men are in white classical ballet with some modernish things, but white tights. And then the soloists are all in black. And the idea is it's an ensemble that works, and these solos burst from it. The deconstruction part of it a little bit is the fact that it doesn't stop and pause between each.
Stanton Welch [00:31:59]:
So some of them overlap or connect to each other. And I think it's four three male variations and five female variations, and then a part of duh, but the entire time is the ensemble, and it's only the first movement. And just my first experience was Liberace playing this on tour, and I remember him playing the whole thing to the camera. And this is the tackiest piece of music I've ever heard. So I had to separate myself from that over 50 years and then just fell in love with again. And exactly as you said, it is so danceable and you stop the music, and the whole company sings along the next few bars because they know it so well. I love music. Like, I get that it's viewed by some most tacky, but I think that a lot of our audience don't hear this music if it's not through us, if we're not bringing it to our ballet audience, how are they hearing it? And I think that those big, great pieces of music should be on ballet stages, too.
Stanton Welch [00:33:00]:
So it's a celebration. It's a fingerprint. Here's the company. Here's the next ten years of the company. Here are the stars who are just about to burst. And let's have a big celebration. And I think that was the concept. It's only the first movement, so it's still all very up.
Julie Kent [00:33:21]:
I think that is also the exciting part, is that you really see the next ten to 15 years of the company right there and how interesting and diverse they all are in their strengths and just everything and musicality. And also many of them are products or have spent several years in the Houston Valley Academy. And so, again, it's an organizational success. And that means the flame is very healthy.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:34:04]:
Maybe we could talk a little bit about some of the areas in which the two of you are actively collaborating, be it programming or casting or things of that nature. What are some of the know? So, Stanton, you're Choreographing and Julie, you're coaching and teaching, but where do we come together and fully collaborate?
Stanton Welch [00:34:23]:
Well, I still think it's actually sort of in all of that stuff. In a we as a big company, like evaluations, for example, on dances are filled by all the ballet staff, myself and Julie, there's many discussions, there's paperwork, because we're a big organization. So it feels actually quite collaborative in all of those topics. Not necessarily as I go into the studio, but I'm certainly spurting out ideas to Julie all the time and as a sounding board for ideas, concepts, and I feel the same casting wise back. I mean, we're not working in a void, and I think that Yin and the Yang has to support each other to make the fire. That's an analogy, the rubbing. So, yeah, I think it's sort of in everything right now. I certainly feel like I want to share all the managerial elements of the company with Julie, too, because it's a big place and we've got history.
Stanton Welch [00:35:21]:
And then for her to see what we've been doing and recommend back, it just takes time. And I think that's the thing for me, I think it'll all continuously evolve, but it should all be at some way collaborative. There should be nothing. That's really a hard line.
Julie Kent [00:35:41]:
Yes. No, I think it's all very collaborative. And as I was saying before, there's just so much to learn. This is a huge organization, and the wonderful thing is that I can learn and it's still moving forward and dynamic and I can contribute, but it's not like, okay, the whole thing kind of has to ground while I figure everything out. It's all really exciting and inspiring. There's just a lot of conversation. And I'm learning so much from Stanton. He's been just an incredibly successful director and choreographer for 20 years through all these huge challenges, through tragedy and through great success, all of triumphs, tragedies, all of the things.
Julie Kent [00:36:49]:
And so it's just a great opportunity and I'm loving it and learning so much.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:36:59]:
I'm kind of curious for both of you how you are in the studio right now. Like Julie, you have all these. New dancers in front of you. You seem so inspired by them. How is that making you feel in the studio? And then, Stanton, how are you feeling? Maybe by having some of this weight off your shoulders, are you feeling like you're able to kind of bring something different into the studio?
Stanton Welch [00:37:17]:
I slept in. I don't think I've slept in for years. I literally slept in the other day. And also the fact that in 20 years, I've never come into the studio without a meeting before. So this last week, when I made the ballet, I just came from home into the studio, listening to the music.
Julie Kent [00:37:37]:
In the car humming.
Stanton Welch [00:37:41]:
Ballet, ballet, ballet. And that was humongous for me. Like, life changing for me. It reminded me of why I wanted to make ballet. And not that I hate the meetings before, but you can literally be in a meeting 30 seconds into a full call, trying to get your brain onto what you're trying to push forward. They can be all sorts of yeah. And that is a huge relief. And also that we can just talk about something.
Stanton Welch [00:38:13]:
What do you think? That to me and with trust, without it feeling like you were betraying the company by going outside, this is internally strong artistic staff. We're very sharing. And I knew that Julie and they would really love each other. And I think that's great. Sorry.
Julie Kent [00:38:38]:
You did great.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:38:41]:
Before Julie chimes in. I'm just thinking of the things because Julie had mentioned all the things that Stanton has shepherded the company through. And I was thinking, starting to think more specifically, we were talking about the recession, obviously, COVID flooding, and no company is immune to those things that will inevitably something like that will happen again. But you'll have a team, so if you are dealing with something really dramatic and that requires a lot of attention, maybe Stanton doesn't need to be there 30 seconds into his choreographic call or Julie can actually go teach the class without panicking that it's ten minutes and we should have been doing pliers. You have that sort of shared responsibility now.
Stanton Welch [00:39:27]:
And, I mean, for me, those were rough things. But then when my husband died was by far the more tragic moment. And just to be able to go away from the ballet and not feel guilty about not seeing a show was a real struggle for me. And I think that's like co parenting. I know I feel complete trust leaving the company in the hands of Julie while I can deal with what I need to do. We both have parents the same other Julie has are there are things that we have in our outside lives that I think directors are often not thought of to have to deal with as well. And they're big life changing moments. And I think to have the flexibility to go to a funeral, to go to a hospital, to go without feeling that tear is a unique, for me, felt like a very unique experience and something that I was very hungry to try to find a way.
Stanton Welch [00:40:31]:
If I needed to go to Australia tomorrow, I know we could do.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:40:35]:
Yeah.
Julie Kent [00:40:37]:
Yeah.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:40:38]:
And Julie, I just wonder what it's been like for you being in the studio with these dancers.
Julie Kent [00:40:44]:
I love mean, I love the little things, right? I'm such a little, very small detail person. I really am a big believer in details are the difference between good and great in pretty much any field. And so I'm always amazed at how just the smallest detail really does have an impact. I don't think it's just my eye. I love that. And one of my sort of, as you probably know just from talking to me, I'm a big metaphor person, right? How I sort of initially described what I hoped for with all the dancers is that I feel like from my career, I was really privileged and fortunate to work with so many different people. That all I felt invested in me. Like, they believed in me or they wanted me to be better, right? They believed I could be better.
Julie Kent [00:41:59]:
And they said to me things that they felt like would help me. And when I made mistakes, they taught me about them, and they softened disappointments and they celebrated triumphs and all manner of things. That when you start your career as a very young person and you don't really know much about anything, and then you end up having you go through so much in all that time. And so I feel like the metaphor is that I was given all these many keys from so many different people and that all my keys are their keys. And so I will share them with them. But they have to open the door, right? I can't unlock them. I can't do it for them. But I'm happy to try to see what they can unlock in themselves.
Julie Kent [00:43:02]:
And I think that that's a really exciting and some of the keys are very different. Some are very mechanical, like, okay, don't sickle your foot, or you have to turn out both legs, like physical things. And some are just how you think about something. Unlocking your imagination, unlocking a thought process. Unlocking big picture things or little picture things. How you approach something, what you feel and what it looks like. Or all these different kinds of thoughts that in all the years I spent in the studio, I danced a lot, but we talked a lot too. It was a lot of talking.
Julie Kent [00:43:42]:
It was a lot of laughing. It was a lot of love. It was a lot of understanding. That is what I love. And it feels really special to be that's.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:44:09]:
I'm also thinking from, like, a dancer perspective. Michael and I went through a director transition. A lot of dancers have had that happen before, and it can be just such a time of so much uncertainty just because you don't know what's going to happen. And I imagine that for the dancers, having you come in while Stanton's still there, there's still this familiarity. They don't feel like everything's just going to all of a sudden be turned upside down. It's just like there's a yeah, that must be really nice.
Stanton Welch [00:44:35]:
That's super important. I think that when I became director with Ben, I tried to, the first decade, really have a lot of involvement. Not a weaning process, but a transition process that it was important that you don't right angle and say everything before is wrong. I think that I, too, went through different directors, as did you, and there were people that just made choice over being different, and there were people that loved what their organization was and continued like this big steering wheel, trying to turn it towards something different. So that's really important for all organizations that it's not just a right right.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:45:22]:
Let's hear a little bit about this season so far and what audiences in Houston can continue to expect to see.
Julie Kent [00:45:32]:
Well, we opened the season very early, just after Labor Day with John Newmeyer's Midsummer Night's Dream. And I had never seen it before, and so I was amazed and thrilled. It's a huge ballet and wonderful to have John with us here. So that was another lots of circles from working with John at Abt and then to have him here in Houston, and it felt very at home. And then just shortly so the way we work is we have basically a program that runs for two weeks and then immediately after, another program that runs for two weeks. And then we share the theater with the opera and we prepare another program and then we go back. So it's sort of this incredible work process. It's a very long contract for the dancers.
Julie Kent [00:46:32]:
So it's a very productive season. So we've already done two programs. The second program, Triple Bill, it was a beautiful piece that Stanton had choreographed to revel for San Francisco Ballet called Tutu. It's from 2001. And I know and the principals were sort of colleagues of mine. So Miro Mafre and Juan Gonzalo Garcia and Damien Smith.
Stanton Welch [00:47:09]:
Smith.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:47:12]:
These are the people that Rebecca and I because I went to SAB, but I also went to San Francisco Ballet School, which is where Rebecca went. And so that's like you're talking about some of our big idols. Yeah, they were. Oh, my.
Stanton Welch [00:47:32]:
So also in the quarterball was Francis. Like the de ballet was. Francis. I mean, it was like, stacked.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:47:40]:
Yeah, that was quite the roster.
Julie Kent [00:47:45]:
So beautiful. And then we had a world premiere. Annabello Pesuccoa created a new piece entitled Del Mira about the life story of Del Mira Agostini, who was a Uruguayan poet who lived a very short life and dramatic life. And then we closed the program with Stars and Stripes, which was a lot of fun. Then we went to fall for dance at City Center. And now we're back in the studio preparing for Nutcracker and the Jubilee, which is a one night only performance. And we're celebrating Stanton's 20 years. And then we go on in the season.
Julie Kent [00:48:21]:
We have another, I think, five programs we include in Cinderella Meyerling from Sir Kenneth of Millen and then two other full repertory programs.
Stanton Welch [00:48:31]:
Outdoor shows at Miller.
Julie Kent [00:48:33]:
Yeah. Outdoor performances here at a local venue. Those dancers are fed two more world premieres. Dwight Roden and.
Stanton Welch [00:48:48]:
Maybe it's just two this year. Oh, no. It's because I'm counting myself. So that's the three.
Julie Kent [00:48:56]:
Overgrown path we have harbor filigree and shadow and Tanton's bespoke tchaikovsky paradev tisha elapse eclipse.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:49:14]:
Anyway, we're very you got something of everything. Yeah. Wow.
Stanton Welch [00:49:19]:
And you know how it is for our brain. We're already budgeting for the following year, so October is when we have to have all that done. So it's interesting, I never feel like current rep is actually the rep that I'm actually of course.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:49:34]:
Totally. Yeah. It's funny because I was just recently having a conversation with a mom of a dancer. She was kind of trying to figure out she wants to be a professional. So it's like, Where do we go? What do we do? And one of the things we were talking about is, like, what companies would you be interested in? And when I hear you guys talking about how much dancing the dancers have there, I just think that that's something for young dancers to take in and think about, too, because in such a broad range of what they're doing, it's just so exciting to hear.
Stanton Welch [00:50:05]:
And what I love, Choreographically and the dancers love it, too is that we do a tech in the evening and we have the whole next day rehearsals. Tech. Then normally two days, then a dress rehearsal. Whole next day dress rehearsal, whole next day open. My whole career is dress rehearsal open. No notes, no calmness, no how are you? Nothing. And here we get those four goes on stage with hours of conversation afterwards. That is a game changer.
Stanton Welch [00:50:38]:
It makes the show better. It makes the opening night better, the lines better. Everything. It's just that is the Eden part of here.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:50:49]:
So you're saying mental health is also great there, too, is what you're saying, yeah.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:50:52]:
You're not still sad from the dress rehearsal you bombed the night before?
Stanton Welch [00:50:57]:
You're not saying, Get this dress off me, I can't dance in it.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:51:02]:
Right.
Stanton Welch [00:51:02]:
You've got four days to get the dress rebuilt before it opens.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:51:07]:
Right.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:51:07]:
That is a big deal. That's great. That's incredible. Well, I feel like maybe just to round us out, we could hear maybe some mutual goals you both have moving forward. Where would you two like to see the company ten years from now?
Stanton Welch [00:51:26]:
I know my current fixation is that we need to film ourselves. So that what happened in COVID with the filming. I was really impressed by the outreach that did for us internationally and that we might only get a $5 gift from someone who'd only seen us off YouTube, who lives in outback Australia is still a really that inspired me. So I would love to see Houston Ballet get a little bit more into the filming so that our nutcrackers, our full lengths are filmed. And we have filmed in the past, but never in Houston. We've filmed ourselves in Paris, we've filmed ourselves in Denmark, but we haven't filmed ourselves on the Wortham, which is behind us. And that is a glorious stage. And I think the idea of showing the world what we look like in Houston, not on tour, is really important, I think.
Julie Kent [00:52:22]:
But that's one of the I didn't I didn't realize our two things were going to overlap so much. But I feel like Houston Ballet and Houston as a city needs to exposure. It's almost like a hidden gem.
Stanton Welch [00:52:45]:
It is a hidden gem.
Julie Kent [00:52:48]:
And for it to be more widely globally, nationally recognized for what they have accomplished and the caliber of the productions, the dancers, the city, the atmosphere, the culture, is something that I would really prioritize because it's really special. So that will be incorporated into all of our work. I think in the next ten years.
Stanton Welch [00:53:23]:
We'Re going to get Julia cowboy hat.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:53:28]:
That'S ten year goal. Julie needs two steps yet, either.
Stanton Welch [00:53:35]:
One.
Julie Kent [00:53:35]:
And one and two.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:53:40]:
Well, we love hearing about everything that's going on in Houston and we love to share it with our audiences. And it's just what a delight to talk to the two of you always, but to have you guys together. And I just think the dancers have such a special treat with the two of you working together. And I'm sure that they're getting the best of you now because you get to share this role.
Julie Kent [00:54:02]:
So yes.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:54:04]:
Thank you both so much. We're so jealous of Houston audiences and of your.
Stanton Welch [00:54:10]:
It. Let's do a live interview somewhere.
Michael Sean Breeden [00:54:13]:
We would love to always welcome.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:54:17]:
We'll have to continue that conversation. Thank you so much. You too.
Stanton Welch [00:54:21]:
Thank you.
Julie Kent [00:54:22]:
Thanks, Rebecca. Thanks, Michael.
Rebecca King Ferraro [00:54:31]:
Conversations on Dance is part of the Acas creator network. For more information, visit conversationsondancepod pod.com.