Lauren Anderson
Ms. Anderson trained at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy from the age of 7. She joined Houston
Ballet in 1983 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1990. Ms. Anderson was the first African-American
principal dancer at Houston Ballet and one of the few African-American ballerinas at the head of a major ballet
company anywhere in the world. She has danced leading roles in all of the classical ballets and received critical
acclaim across the world. Some of her accomplishments: Dance Magazine, People magazine, Pointe
magazine, A&E Breakfast w/Arts, CBS Sunday Morning, and the game show “To Tell the Truth.” Ms. Anderson is currently Outreach Associate at Houston Ballet.
Caleb Mitchell
Caleb Mitchell’s early ballet training was under Rosemarie Floyd in Royal Oak, MI. Caleb received the first-ever Rita Emerson Award and was awarded full scholarship to the University of Arizona. Graduating cum lauded (BFA) he received the 1998 Creative Achievement Award for Outstanding Talent and joined the Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson and Stanton Welch, performing many featured classical and contemporary roles with world renowned choreographers. Mr. Mitchell’s choreographic projects include a collaborative with world-renowned choreographer Donald McKayle, and research with Alonzo King (Lines) and Jacobo Giovani (Frankfurt, Ballet). His recent choreographic projects include Rain (Mozart) Designated Paths (Shostakovich), Color Club, Chosen, Innerings, “V” (Vengeance for the Innocent -Shostakovich) and many others. Mr. Mitchell is currently a full-time Assistant Professor of Dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS.
Steven Rooks
Steve Rooks began his dance training in Washington D.C. with Jan Van Dyke and Greg Reynolds. He continued his training in New York City as a scholarship student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. He joined the Martha Graham Dance Company 1981, and was a Principal Dancer until 1991. He portrayed Joseph in the 1996 International Christmas Television Special of Billy Graham Ministries and in May 1997 appeared as a guest artist with the Great Day Chorale in their performance at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Rooks is currently Chair of Department of Dance of Vassar College in New York.
Clara Cravey
Houston Ballet Academy Principal
Clara Cravey began her professional career with The Harkness Ballet of New York in 1968. In 1991, Ben Stevenson appointed Ms. Cravey to Principal of the Houston Ballet Academy. From 1991 through 1994 she was names the year’s most Distinguished Teacher from the National Foundation for the Advancement int hearts. Ms. Cravey has trained many ballerinas who have danced in major companies such as Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and many European companies. Two of her students received the Princess Grace Award. She also serves on the artistic council of Ballet Florida, University of Oklahoma and teaches at North Carolina School Of The Arts. She is former President of the National Association of Schools of Dance.
Priscilla Nathan Murphy
Lower School, Houston Ballet Academy
Originally from Singapore, Priscilla Nathan-Murphy received her classical ballet training in the Royal Academy of Dancing Syllabi and has also been trained in oriental dance mudras, modern dance and jazz. Ms. Murphy is a certified teacher from the British Royal Academy of Dance and has acquired a Teaching License Diploma from the British Association of Teachers of Dance and Cecchetti method, London. Since 1985 Ms. Murphy has taught ballet, modern dance in the pre-professional and professional division of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy and STOTT Pilates. Ms. Murphy’s Choreographic projects include works on Houston Ballet 11, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and numerous other companies. Since her engagement at Houston Ballet, Ms. Murphy has developed, delineated and Creative and Pre-Ballet Syllabus, as well as introducing the Improvisational Composition Cultural Dance and Musical Theater curriculum of Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program.
Theara Ward
Former soloist, Dance Theatre of Harlem
Theara Ward began her professional career with the Dance Theatre of Harlem (Director, Arthur Mitchell) as an apprentice at age 13. She quickly moved to soloist position at 15 and started to travel with the company spanning the globe including Australia, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Europe, Ireland, Hong Kong and others. Theara has appeared in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “CATS” in Paris and the Tony Award winning revue, “Black and Blue,” Ms.Ward has an extensive background in performing on Broadway, regional and off-broadway, film, television, commercials and special appearances including the first State Dinner of the Regan administration at the White House, PBS-TV and BMG Records, Carnegie Hall and many others. She is currently working on the script adaptation from the one woman show called “From The Heart Of A Sistah off-broadway. She is a member Perfecting Faith church in New York, Pastor Donald McClurkin Senior Pastor.
