2025 Princess Grace Award
Nominated by: The Joffrey Ballet
Born and raised in Chicago, Houston Thomas trained at the Joffrey Ballet Academy and the Chicago High School for the Arts before joining the School of American Ballet. After graduating in 2013, he danced for a decade with Dresden Semperoper Ballett, rising to second soloist by 2018. His repertoire included works by Balanchine, Forsythe, and Dawson; his performance in Justin Peck’s Heatscape earned a “Best Male Performance” nomination from Dance Europe.
Houston’s choreographic journey began with Moonlit Variants in 2018. In 2022, he participated in the Young Emergent Choreographers Contest, winning a commission with the Opéra National de Bordeaux. Houston has since then created works for The Washington Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Ailey II, New York Choreographic Institute, Joffrey Ballet Studio Company, The Juilliard School, Point Park University, among others.
