Poised and full of grace, Houston Ballet alum and native Houstonian, Lauren Anderson, amongst the legends and rising stars to be honored Wednesday, February 22nd at the esteemed 2017 Texas Medal of Arts Awards in Austin, Texas. Slated to receive the coveted Texas Medal of Arts Award in Dance, Anderson epitomizes excellence and admiration in performing arts.

“I am honored to be amongst the honorees for the 2017 Texas Medal of Arts Awards! I am indebted to Houston Ballet for cultivating my talent and giving me a platform to dance into the hearts of millions. I am eternally grateful to the committee for acknowledging my body of work and accomplishments in performing arts,” said Anderson.

Having risen to international prominence, Anderson embarked upon this journey as an adolescent at the age of seven at the Houston Ballet Academy, joining the Houston Ballet in 1983 as a Corps de Ballet. Fast tracking her career, she received a promotion to soloist in 1987. By 1990, she was blazing new trails as the first African-American promoted to principal dancer at Houston Ballet, solidifying her place in history as the “head of the class” in a major ballet company.

Under the tutelage of Ben Stevenson, she honed her skills and dared to dream. The pivotal point in Anderson’s career came when cast as Alice in Lewis Carroll’s timeless story, Alice in Wonderland. This imaginative ballet careens through Alice’s astonishing escapades and the perplexing characters she meets. Needless to say, she was not expecting to star in the whimsical piece however, Stevenson saw something in her she did not see in herself. Contemplating why an African-American was selected to play the role, his words resonated in her heart, “I picked you to be Alice. Dancers dance; the only color in art is on a canvas!”

No longer seeing color barriers, encompassed with talent and infused with confidence, she embraced the notion that she did not choose dance yet dance chose her. “Ben Stevenson invested in me so that I may thrive and flourish as a person first and then as a ballerina. The seeds he planted in my life empowered me, giving me a local and global platform to not just entertain but to endow others to dream beyond confinement, to break barriers en route to their destiny, while giving birth to their purpose!” said Anderson.

Her repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Christopher Bruce, James Kudelka, Trey McIntyre and Stanton Welch. Anderson created the title role in Ben Stevenson’s Cleopatra, and her performance as Cleopatra received accolades from international critics. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times compared her to the great Italian actress Eleanora Duse, and Christine Temin of The Boston Globe pronounced her “a powerhouse in interpreting the role that Stevenson created for her.” She has performed across the world as a guest artist.

After a stellar career as a prima ballerina, Anderson hung up her pointe shoes in 2006. In January 2007, she assumed a new role as Outreach Associate with Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement program.  She spends her days conducting master classes at area schools, and lectures to students on dance and her historic career as one of America’s most distinguished ballerinas. Anderson aims to foster change in her students through experience and exposure, instilling in them that art is not a privilege, it is a right.

The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. Credited with breaking the racial barrier in dance, Anderson and her renowned pointe shoes became a permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.

When asked about her journey Anderson said, “Because I dared to dream, my life’s work will forever be enshrined in our nation’s history. Because I dared to dream, I have an opportunity to educate today’s youth through the revitalization of performing arts, encouraging them to push boundaries and break barriers! Change their minds, change the world!”

Lauren Anderson, inspired to inspire!

The 85^th Texas legislative session is underway in Austin and runs through May 29. Bills passed by the House and Senate will have a profound impact on the state’s residents.

The Defender asked the Houston area’s eight African-American legislators to address the issues they will personally focus on in Austin, and why those issues are important to their constituents. Criminal justice reform is at the top of the list, followed by education, employment and senior citizen protection.

ALMA ALLEN

State Rep., District 131

“The number one issue I am focusing on this year will be HB 1404, which will allow a person with a misdemeanor to petition the court for an order of nondisclosure of their criminal history record information, if the person satisfies certain criteria.  This will allow them to get a second chance in life, by making it easier to get jobs and housing despite their criminal record.  African- Americans have been negatively impacted by a criminal justice system that has over-criminalized and excessively penalized non-violent behavior, and our community would greatly benefit from this legislation.”

GARNET COLEMAN

State Rep., District 147

“I am introducing the Sandra Bland Act in memory of Sandra Bland, and to address the harmful policies that ultimately led to her tragic death. The Sandra Bland Act aims to improve our criminal justice system and prevent future tragedies. The Act will decrease racial disparities in traffic stops and searches, strengthen Texas’ Racial Discrimination law, and increase the use of personal recognizance bonds – just to name a few of the important policies in the Act that will benefit African-Americans, as well as all Texans.”

HAROLD DUTTON

State Rep., District 142 

“My number one issue is how to improve the education outcomes of those children at the bottom of the education ladder. For example, none of the changes that have been made in public education have eliminated Black males from always being at the bottom in education. And yet we question why do so many of our Black boys end up in our criminal justice system. We will either educate them or incarcerate them. It’s cheaper for taxpayers to educate them and will protect our democracy.”

JARVIS JOHNSON

State Rep., District 139

“My primary focus in the 85th legislative session is increasing educational and employment opportunities. I strongly believe every student deserves access to an education that will allow them to compete in a highly competitive workforce. One key way to do this is by increasing Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities in public high schools. I have filed House Bill 374, requiring the Texas Education Agency to provide all information on all CTE partnership opportunities with business and industry available regionally.  This legislation will help strengthen African-American families and communities by increasing opportunities for high-skilled, high-wage employment.”

BORRIS MILES

State Sen., District 13

“Education and job growth are my top priorities this session. We need to prepare our youth for a clear job path after high school, whether that’s to a community college, university or to technical fields where they can be hired after completing certification. We need to keep our kids from falling through the cracks and get them on a path to good-paying jobs, many of which do not require a college degree. To assist with this, I filed legislation expanding paid internship/externships for college and high school students, as well as offering tax credits to companies who hire interns.”

RON REYNOLDS

State Rep., District 27

“My number one issue is criminal justice reform. Recent tragic events across our country have brought these issues to the forefront and I have two pieces of legislation this session to help address the glaring disparities that African-Americans face in our justice system.  HB 854 would require the appointment of a special prosecutor when there is an officer-involved injury or death. The second bill will allow for a defendant to have a lawyer present in the room during grand jury proceedings. It is time to take steps to reduce the disparate impact that our criminal justice system has on African-Americans and institute reforms that apply justice fairly and equitably for all.”

SHAWN THIERRY

State Rep., District 146

“I am tackling many issues that are critical to our community, like fixing food deserts, slumlord-owned apartments, and the rising maternal mortality rate among Black women. However, my initial priority is protecting senior citizens. I filed HB 959, the Financial Elder Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Act, which creates penalties for those who prey on the elderly with money schemes and scams.  My bill also mandates that banks report any suspected financial abuse.  Our grandparents are the backbones of our communities, and I will fight to provide them with protections and peace of mind during their golden years.”

SENFRONIA THOMPSON

State Rep., District 141

“One of my priorities is criminal justice reform. African-Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the flaws in our criminal justice system. I am working on filing legislation to stop officers from making senseless arrest for fine only offenses, such as the case with Sandra Bland; allow parolees with good conduct to have their parole terminated sooner; make sentencing for crimes match the severity of the crime; propose grand jury reform to prevent needless indictments; and end the targeting of minority men and women by amending our racial profiling laws.”

The following is a statement by Tarsha Jackson, TOP’s Harris County director, in reaction to today’s announcement of a change in policy by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in dealing with possession of small amounts of marijuana:

“We applaud Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg for the step she took today to make the criminal justice system in our county more just, fairer and more sensible.

“Jailing people for possessing small amounts of marijuana never made sense. But it did invite racial profiling by making it easier to jail Black men and people of color.

“And it is straining our resources, both on the street and in our jails, to arrest and jail people for such low level offenses.

“This reform also reflects people’s changing attitude toward marijuana. When we knocked on the doors and called more than 360,000 voters in 2016, the promise of criminal justice reform helped move people to the polls. Today justifies people’s faith in Kim Ogg. She is delivering needed reform, and we look forward to supporting other reforms from her office.”