Watching Eric Best ride Stanton Welch’s sensual curves tapestries:during the Houston Ballet’s Dance Jubilee [in December 2023]the dancer’s flow and precision melded into a seamless whole. His generous port de bras caressed the space, outlining Welch’s nuanced choreographic lines. With his clean technique, fine feathering and beguiling fluidity, Best has rocketed from corps de ballet to soloist at the season opener and audiences can’t get enough of him.
company: Houston Ballet
Age: 21:00 hours
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Training: Dance Creations Academy, Houston Ballet Academy, Houston Ballet II
Destination Houston: Best: connected with Houston Ballet during her first summer intensive there in 2018. “I improved so much and made so many friends. I felt it was a place where I could grow and learn,” he says. During his next summer, in Los Angeles at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s intensive course, he met visiting teacher Lauren Anderson, who is the Houston Ballet Academy’s associate director of education and community engagement. “She said, ‘Oh, you have to go back to Houston, like, right now.’ So I did.”
Quick rise: After joining Houston Ballet II in 2021, Best apprenticed in the main company in 2022 and sailed into the corps in 2023. After a flurry of principal roles, he was promoted to soloist at the start of the season, a time he describes as “taking that leap of faith and going along for the ride. I surprised myself with what I was actually capable of doing and thanks to Stanton [Welch] and Julie: [Kent]support and belief in me.”
Midsummer Day: double header: Houston audiences found out exactly what Best was capable of when he landed the lead roles – Lysander and Puck – in both John Neumeier’s casts A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the beginning of this season.
What co-artistic directors say. “Eric has such physical intelligence, his mind-body connection is incredible,” says Julie Kent. “There is a divine quality to his dance. And he looks great from every angle.” Stanton Welch shares that “Eric is a phenomenal talent. He is so musical and brings such detail to my ballets. I choreograph without limits and he makes me want to be a better choreographer. “
Speaking the same language. Best’s affinity for Welch’s intricate choreography is evident in the growing list of Welch ballets he has performed to date. “Now I can look at his new works knowing what he’s going to bring and what he’s looking for,” says Best. “I just try to go in with the same energy, ready to go.” Clear, originally formed after 9/11, had a profound impact on Best. “Every time I watch this ballet or perform it or rehearse it, I always find something new that connects to the narrative of it.”
Beyond Dancing: Best likes to draw and sketch. “Mostly self-portraits, people, sometimes superheroes. I am very passionate about art and would like to take more lessons,” he says. “I always want to make sure I keep doing the things I’m interested in besides dancing.”