About Us
Our History
An idea was born.
Several years ago, Suzanne Moreau and Diana Wilcox were standing together at the George Bush Library Christmas Performance, watching local dancers perform a dance from The Nutcracker, and an idea was born! The ladies began to discuss how wonderful it would be for local studios to come together in a community-wide performance of the ballet. They knew that their passion and experience, together with Katy Ellison’s expertise as a former professional dancer and long-time teacher/director of pre-professional ballet students, would help create a wonderful artistic team. And knowing there was great interest among local dancers and parents to participate in The Nutcracker, the time seemed right. Meetings began, and an audition date was set and announced to the community.
A vision embraced.
Immediately, the community embraced the vision of Ballet Brazos. Auditions for the 2012 Nutcracker were attended by nearly 80 dancers, ranging in age from six to adult. After many months of rehearsals, Ballet Brazos dancers performed the beautiful ballet to sold-out audiences at Rudder High School.
A civic ballet grows.
Following the success of those first performances, Ballet Brazos was not idle! An executive board was formed and met throughout the year to further define the organization, create a business plan, and look to the future. Suzanne Moreau, Diana Wilcox, and Katy Ellison have continued to meet and work together to fulfill their artistic vision for the company and strive to make upcoming productions bigger and better. The dancers have been offered many training opportunities during the years, in the form of master classes and workshops, and perform as guest artists of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in their annual Children’s Concert.
Unique among ballet companies.
Ballet Brazos exists as proof that collaboration is a wonderful way to allow dancers, teachers, and audiences to experience the wonder of classical ballet. Many regional ballet schools across the country have their own annual productions of The Nutcracker and other full-length ballets; however, Ballet Brazos is unique. Dancers for our productions are cast by auditions open to the entire Brazos Valley community with instructors from many different dance studios. Our inaugural performance of The Nutcracker in 2012 showcased the talents of dancers from at least five area schools, and was made possible through the efforts of area ballet teachers and a multitude of community volunteers and sponsors.
About Us
Ballet Brazos is a non-profit organization serving dancers and community members throughout the Brazos Valley. Our mission is to instruct, educate, and enrich the lives of young people through the art of ballet, and to share quality classical ballet performances with audiences of all ages.
The support of Ballet Brazos allows the larger arts community to collaborate in ways that showcase local talent, cultivate an appreciation for the arts, and inspire the next generation of ballet dancers. Each year dancers perform a full-length production of The Nutcracker Ballet in Texas A&M University’s Rudder Auditorium as well as abbreviated versions of the production at local public libraries, the children’s museum, and community events during the holiday season.
Ballet Brazos is a non-profit organization supported in part by generous financial contributions, in-kind donations, and grant funding. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and will help the organization continue sharing the hard work and talent of local dancers, the beauty of classical ballet, and the magic of this time-honored holiday tradition with the Brazos Valley community.
Outstanding community support.
We are excited and honored by the outstanding support we’ve received from the community, and we hope to continue offering area dancers and audiences the opportunity to experience the beauty and majesty of classical ballet for many years to come!