From Houston Ballet to lead the Estonian Ballet Theater
With Houston Ballet’s Sunday performance of Marie, the company bade farewell not only to its spring season, but to two of its most beloved leading men: principal Jared Mattews and first soloist Linnar Looris each took their final bows on the Wortham Theater Center stage. Both men will travel soon to Estonia, where they will work together to lead the Estonian National Ballet with Looris serving as the company’s artistic director and Matthews as the assistant to the artistic director.
For Looris, this is a homecoming—his ballet story began in his native Estonia, where he first started his training at the Tallinn Ballet School, located in the nation’s capital. Before joining Houston Ballet as a first soloist, Looris danced for several years as a principal with the Estonian National Ballet. He will now step in to replace Thomas Edur as the artistic director of the company.
/Pointe magazine/