Raymonda is the story of an engaged woman who is almost kidnapped but saved by her fiancé – cue the happy ending.

At least, it was. Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch has completely reimagined the 127-year-old ballet into something fresh, cohesive, and completely different.

In Welch’s Raymonda , our titular heroine is a princess, one of seven daughters to the Queen. Raymonda is secretly in love with Jean, an officer in the royal army, which presents a problem for Vladimir, the Queen’s advisor. Vladimir’s been expending a lot of energy playing royal matchmaker for the sisters, and it’s not out of the goodness of his heart. For Vladimir, each love connection is an opportunity to strengthen his own political agenda and, well, Raymonda’s love for Jean is getting in the way. A

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