Twenty-three CFISD students will perform in the Houston Repertoire Ballet’s Celebration of Dance 2025 on April 6 at the CFISD Visual & Performing Arts Center. Pictured (back row, from left) are Liliana Cuestas, Chantal Noble Hernandez, Lily Marshall, Lauren Freeman, Cassandra Douthitt, Emma Mangold and Maddie Nguyen; (middle row) Angela Grace Huang, Melody Greene, Sara Alarcon, Gabrielle Arrey, Nichole Pullman and Madelyn Crozier; (front row) Emma Burkhart, Annalise Howard, Savanna Flores, Rebeca Rosas and London Boyce. Not pictured at Griffin deAlejandro, Willow deAlejandro, Mallory Burkhart, Charlotte Crook and Gricel Cabrera Hernandez.

March 18, 2025—Twenty-three CFISD students have been cast in the Houston Repertoire Ballet’s Celebration of Dance 2025.

Houston Repertoire Ballet (HRB) Celebration of Dance 2025 will feature Storybook Fantasy, a ballet highlighting classic story book characters. Two new contemporary works will be premiered including Gray Matter and a new piece en pointe accompanied by a live string quartet. Langham Creek High School senior Chantal Noble Hernandez will play “Maria” and Bridgeland High School sophomore Mallory Burkhart will play “Cinderella” in Storybook Fantasy. Both Noble Hernandez and Burkhart will also have solo roles in Paquita, the final ballet of the show, and will dance along side guest artists Yuriko Kajiya and Connor Walsh.

Celebration of Dance 2025 performances are April 6 at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the CFISD Visual & Performing Arts Center (11420 Matzke Road), and tickets can be purchased by visiting the Visual & Performing Arts Center website.

Founded by nationally acclaimed teachers and choreographers Victoria Vittum and Gilbert Rome, HRB is a pre-professional ballet company celebrating 29 years of providing professional quality performances.

The goal of HRB is to give young, talented, dedicated dancers the serious training needed for them to enter the professional world of dance, and many of them advance to professional ballet companies throughout the country. HRB graduates have danced with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet and other prestigious companies.

The following CFISD students will participate in Celebration of Dance 2025:

• Griffin deAlejandro, Birkes Elementary School
• Willow deAlejandro, Cypress Falls High School
• Rebeca Rosas, Sprague Middle School
• Emma Burkhart, Sprague Middle School
• Mallory Burkhart, Bridgeland High School
• Nichole Pullman, Bridgeland High school
• Gabrielle Arrey, Aragon Middle School
• Angela Grace Huang, Cypress Woods High School
• Chantal Noble Hernandez, Langham Creek High School
• Madelyn Crozier, Cypress Ranch High School
• Lauren Freeman, Cypress Ranch High School
• Cassandra Douthitt, Cypress Woods High School
• Charlotte Crook, Goodson Middle School
• Annalise Howard, Salyards Middle School
• Lily Marshall, Cypress Creek High School
• Emma Mangold, Cy-Fair High School
• Maddie Nguyen, Cy-Fair High School
• Gricel Cabrera Hernandez, Hamilton Middle School
• London Boyce, Aragon Middle School
• Sara Alarcon, Anthony Middle School
• Liliana Cuestas, Kahla Middle School
• Melody Greene, Cook Middle School
• Savanna Flores, Rowe Middle School