Does the “Rock, Roll, & Tutus” ballet put a new spin on ballet or was it a pointless show? The Houston Ballet Company performed “Rock, Roll, & Tutus” from September 18th-28th, 2025. This ballet has three acts: Act 1 is a modern style of dance, act 2 is rock centered, and act 3 is a ballet. However, none of the acts are connected or follow the same story. The innovative part of the show was the different styles of dancing and the costumes. 

In the first act, each dancer was dressed in red from the huge ball gowns to their small jazz-like dresses. The women contorted and did a lot less dancing. The men were completely focused on the dresses. At one point the men were dead on the ground, and the women were reviving them. They danced until the women decided to crawl back inside their original ball gowns. The second dance consisted of women dressed in yellow dresses. Overall, the tone of act 1 was happy and fun. It was like the women were all in a small village. There was one desirable man that everyone wanted. The women kept throwing themselves at the man until he found the perfect woman. All of the women were matching and you could not pick out who was the leading lady. The music was upbeat and light. The main plot of the act was the man and the women falling in love. 

The second act consisted of men walking like roosters on stage and wearing vintage suits. The women wore all black dresses with crimped hair that was in a scrunchie. At one point one woman had a feather boa. Feathers were on the stage and some dancers almost slipped on the feathers. The choreography in the second act was staged poorly and the spacing was messier. It gave the impression that no one knew what they were doing. At one point the woman who had a duet with her partner danced on opposite sides of the stage, but the choreography made it seem like they needed to be together. Together, it made for a confusing story to follow and the best part of this act is the Rolling Stones music. 

The third act was a traditional ballet. All the women appeared in white tutus and one woman in a black outfit. They then stood there and the woman in black began to dance. The men were in pants suits to match the women. One man and the woman in black danced together. I did like how the pairs danced, but I would have liked to see everyone be involved.

To conclude, this ballet is not the strongest piece that the Houston Ballet has performed. The idea of “Rock, Roll, & Tutus” sounds good, but the execution could have been better. I appreciate all three styles of dance and I was interested to see different styles of ballet in all three acts, however this performance did not meet my expectations. I think that the show could have been done better with improved choreography. However, I am always happy to watch the talented dancers of the Houston Ballet Company. Overall, I would rate this a 3 out of 5 star ballet, but I would only recommend this to someone who appreciates a new way of looking at dance.