At Tented Fete, Houston Ballet Toasts World Premiere Inspired by Tennessee Williams Play

Daniel Ortiz and Wilson Parish
At Tented Fete, Houston Ballet Toasts World Premiere Inspired by Tennessee Williams Play

Jim Nelson, Hallie Vanderhider and Allison and Troy Thacker

HOUSTONIANS ARE FAMILIAR with living on the bayou — but not like this! The 2023 Houston Ballet Ball, chaired by Allison and Troy Thacker, homaged the Mississippi marshlands as depicted in Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke, a play that inspired the next world-premiere production by the Houston Ballet.


Spanish moss trees and a painted bayou landscape welcomed partygoers to a tent at the Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance, where a pianist tickled the ivories and silent auction items — luxury handbags, a Tulum getaway — tempted viewers.

Dinner was a proper southern feast, starring prime filet, corn succotash, asparagus and buttermilk biscuits. For dessert, a satisfying combo of chocolate fondant, pistachio creme, sweet toffee, vanilla ice cream and shortbread hit the spot. And wait! There's more! Party favors included truffles from Winfield's Chocolate Bar in flavors like champagne and cheesecake.

But before departing, partygoers joined Houston Ballet company members — who had not been permitted to attend events for the past several years due to Covid concerns — on the dance floor, where the sounds of Big Blast & The Party Masters kept everyone moving and grooving!

The evening, chaired by Allison and Troy Thacker, honored Hallie Vanderhider, who underwrote the Ballet's Summer and Smoke production, which debuts March 9.

Stanton Welch, Beth and Nick Zdeblick

Beth Muecke

Camille Charvet, Bill Baldwin, Fady Armanious

Sunday Shepherd and Amy LeBlanc

Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell and Derrick Mitchell

Richard Flowers and Lynn Wyatt

Kristy Bradshaw, Leigh Smith, Kelley Lubanko and Ileana Treviño

Chandler Dalton and Neal Burks

Margaret Alkek Williams

Edward and Deborah Koehler, Jay Jones

Marc and Duyen Nguyen

Jonathan and Margaret Cox, Cabrina and Steven Owsley

Jessica Collado and Stephanie Tsuru

Art + Entertainment
Our Favorites: CityBook’s Top Restaurants Now

Yellowtail Crudo at Brasserie 19


Keep ReadingShow less
Food

Chef Kavachi Ulegbu

READY TO COOK, paint, sip and eat? Houston-based Nigerian chef Kavachi Ukegbu is spreading her culture during Black History Month with her signature Art of FuFu Cookbook Experiences. The Art of Fufu is an outreach event designed to spread awareness of the rich heritage of West African cuisine.
Keep ReadingShow less
Food

FOR NATIVE HOUSTONIAN, cultural architect and art advisor Janice Bond, who opened Art Is Bond at 4411 Montrose to great fanfare in September 2022, a gallery has the potential to be so much more than a storefront for rarefied objects. “I feel like my work has a bit more dimension than just the purchasing and selling of art,” says Bond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment