Houston Ballet

The Houston Ballet, operated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers. As of 2011, the Houston Ballet's endowment at more than $55 million is considered among the largest endowments held for a dance company in the US. The company, which a New York Times reviewer called "one of the nation’s best ballet companies", produces over 75 performances each year and consists of 54 dancers.