<BR>Naomi Glass and Dominic Walsh<BR>in Nacho Duato's "Without Words"<P><BR>Houston Ballet will open their season September 7th with three works, including two premieres. In addition to Ben Stevenson's 1986 "The Miraculous Mandarin," the program will also consist of a company premiere of Nacho Duato's "Without Words" and the world premiere of Stanton Welch's "Bruiser".<P>Writes Molly Glentzer in the Houston Chronicle:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The Olympics don't begin until Sept. 15, so Australian choreographer Stanton Welch is a few days ahead with his latest "workout" for Houston Ballet. His new piece, Bruiser, is his idea of what ballet would look like if it were an Olympic sport. <P>...<P>Without Words has also been acquired by San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Washington Ballet. The title comes from Mischa Maisky's cello recording of the same name, featuring six reflective songs by Franz Schubert. It incorporates eight dancers in flesh-colored leotards. Close-up black-and-white photographs of their bodies are projected on a screen to suggest the difference between movement and memory. <P>...<P>Set to a score by Béla Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin tells the story of a rapacious prostitute and a mysterious Chinese man. Its first version, staged by Hans Strobach in 1926, caused an uproar with its unflinching depiction of obsession and sexual taboos.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><B><A HREF="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/ae/dance/651403" TARGET=_blank>Follow this link to the full story</A></B>