ABOUT.
Houston Thomas is a choreographer and former soloist with the Dresden Semperoper Ballett.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Houston embarked on his dance journey through the Joffrey Ballet Outreach Program under the tutelage of Pierre Locket. His passion for dance led him to further his education at the Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance upon its inception in 2008, concurrently honing his skills at the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) under Lisa Johnson-Willingham.
In the summer of 2011, Houston attended the School of American Ballet Summer Course, later inviting him to join as a full-time student for the subsequent winter term.
After graduating from SAB in 2013, Houston found his artistic home with the Dresden Semperoper Ballett, rising to second soloist by 2018. His repertoire boasts pivotal roles in acclaimed works by George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, William Forsythe, and David Dawson, among others. His performance in Justin Peck's "Heatscape" earned him a "Best Male Performance" nomination at the 2018 Dance Europe Critic Choice Awards.
After a decade of performing with Semperoper, Ballett culminated in Houston's final performance during the 22/23 Season, marking the transition to focus exclusively on his choreographic career.
Houston's choreographic journey came to the fore in 2018 with his debut piece, "Moonlit Variants," presented at the Semperoper Ballett's Young Choreographers event. Subsequently, he was commissioned to collaborate on "Alice—Eine Reise ins Wunderland" for the Semper Zwei.
Venturing into the digital realm, Houston collaborated with NYCB dancers Mimi Staker and Sebastian Villarini-Velez to create the film "An Afternoon of Angelic Voices," entirely conducted over Zoom for the New York Choreographic Institute. Houston was later invited to the 2021 and 2023 Fall Sessions, creating his works "The Return Studies" and "001.3," featuring dancers from the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet.
In July 2022, Houston premiered "Follow the White Rabbit" at the Young Emergent Choreographers Contest in Biarritz, France, receiving a commission to create "SKYWATCHER" for the Opera National de Bordeaux.
Since then, Houston has created new works for schools and companies, including The Washington Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, The Juilliard School, ABT Studio Company, Ailey ll, Balletcollective, Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance, Ballet San Antonio, The School of American Ballet, Palucca University of Dance Dresden and the Hamptons Dance Project. His works have been performed by Ballet 22 and the Columbia Repertory Ballet.
Photo by amac garbe.