Founded in 1969, Houston Ballet is America's fourth largest ballet company featuring 54 dancers who have won gold and silver medals at international ballet competitions. The company performs a wide variety of ballets, ranging from classics like The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Swan Lake to exciting new ballets commissioned from some of the world's most prestigious contemporary choreographers.

The company's affiliated school, Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy, has emerged as one of America's foremost dance training institutions, producing dancers who have gone on to appear with such prestigious companies as Houston Ballet, The Australian Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. The Ben Stevenson Academy supplies over 40 percent of the company's dancers.

Houston Ballet serves as a cultural ambassador for the city of Houston on its many international tours. Over the last decade, Houston Ballet has performed in London, Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York City, Canada, and Washington, D.C.