BIO:Melissa Hough, Soloist; Melissa Hough was a bronze medal winner in the 2005 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, a jury award of merit winner from the Jackson International Ballet Competition in 2002 and a senior outstanding dancer at New York City Dance Alliance in 2002. She trained with The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. and has danced professionally with BalletMet, M & Company, and Boston Ballet, where she reached the rank of principal in 2009. She joined Houston Ballet as a soloist in 2010. Her classical repertoire includes Nicholas Sergeyev's The Sleeping Beauty, Mikko Nissinen's Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, James Kudelka's Cinderella, Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote, George Balanchine's Rubies, Ballo della Regina, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, to name a few. Her contemporary repertoire includes such works as Jiří Kylián's Petite Mort and Falling Angels, William Forsythe's In the middle, somewhat elevated, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room.
"Melissa Hough is a competition dancer turned ballet master. I love this ballerina because she gives her soul in a pointe shoe. Now, that doesn't mean a beautiful line, but movement through those beautiful lines. I appreciate her "attack" on the ballet technique. Her performance is extremely physical and beyond frail like many other ballerinas that are and were in the industry. Hough is breathtaking because she dances on her own, and the accompaniment of a male partner does not distinguish her talent, nor ability. From classical, to contemporary, she is a leader in physical movement. Her move from a Principal dancer in Boston Ballet, to a Soloist in Houston Ballet, shows her commitment to life. She moved to a new company because of her new husband who she supports and loves, even though she already was contingent with a balanced career. Her aggressive attitude towards movement is admirable in a way that inspires motivated dancers. Movement based, Hough embodies the soul of a passionate dancer. Her most inspirational moment for me, was performing in William Forsythe's In The Middle Somewhat Elevated. Her attack and precision defines the importance of a dancer knowing their temple."
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