Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1172262
32 BALLET BENEVOLENCE SHELBY HODGE IS ON HER TOES. PHOTOGRAPHY WILSON PARISH. W ith Stanton Welch's sublime Giselle as the opening performance for Houston Ballet's 50th season, the stage was literally set for a gala dinner celebrating both the auspicious anniversary and beloved ballet patron Lynn Wyatt. Once the curtain fell on the glorious production, the Jackson and Company catering crew sprinted through a transformation of the stage into a glittering dining salon worthy of the cultural milestone. Honoring Wyatt on this occasion was no mere happenstance. She was the very one who underwrote Welch's 2016 production of Giselle, only one example of her three decades of ballet benevolence. Dispensing accolades to the forever-young octogenarian were Welch himself and dinner chair Jesse H. Jones II, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Houston Ballet executive director Jim Nelson. WHO: Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan, Allison Thacker, Anne and Albert Chao, Leticia Loya, Terry Wayne Jones, Heidi and Marcus Smith, Richard Flowers and Angel Rios, Ann Trammell, Stephanie and Frank Tsuru, Margaret Alkek Williams, Beth Muecke, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Kelley and Stephen Lubanko, Alicia Smith, and Jo and Jim Furr. See more Shelby Hodge at papercitymag.com. HOUSTON BALLET SETS THE STAGE TO HONOR 50 SEASONS & BELOVED LYNN WYATT. Marshall Heins, Christina Stith Emily & Ryan LeVasseur, Allison Thacker, Mayor Sylvester Turner Shane Miller, Tatiana Sierra Anne & Albert Chao Richard Flowers, Angel Rios Sara Paschall Dodd, Frank & Stephanie Tsuru Marcus & Heidi Smith Tatiana Massey, Duyen Nguyen, Steve Wyatt, Joyce Echols Kelley Lubanko, Leigh & Reggie Smith Jim Nelson, chair Jesse H. Jones II, honoree Lynn Wyatt, Stanton Welch