{"id":207326,"date":"2026-03-16T21:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/207326\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T21:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:32:07","slug":"houston-ballet-principal-dancer-karina-gonzalez-brings-frida-kahlo-to-life-in-broken-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/207326\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Ballet principal dancer Karina Gonz\u00e1lez brings Frida Kahlo to life in Broken Wings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Houston \u2013 The story of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has come to life on stage at the Wortham Center. Through movement, music, and powerful storytelling, the Houston Ballet is presenting Broken Wings<\/a>, a ballet inspired by Kahlo\u2019s remarkable life.<\/p>\n

The production is part of a mixed repertory program, which means audiences experience several different ballets in one evening. Along with Broken Wings, the program also features the world premiere of Mason Bates\u2019 Stereo is King and Ji\u0159\u00ed Kyli\u00e1n\u2019s Petite Mort. Both are works that highlight the range of styles and storytelling that make ballet so dynamic.<\/p>\n

At the center of the production is Houston Ballet principal dancer Karina Gonz\u00e1lez, <\/a>who takes on the role of Kahlo herself. Gonz\u00e1lez, who was promoted to principal dancer in 2013, says portraying the iconic artist has been deeply personal.<\/p>\n

As a Latina dancer originally from Venezuela, she says stepping into Kahlo\u2019s story is both an honor and a responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a deeply personal experience,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said. \u201cAs a Hispanic woman, to portray such an iconic figure. \u201dShe became a symbol of strength, resilience, and self-identity. I don\u2019t think I could feel more proud and honored to represent such an iconic figure.\u201c<\/p>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez says she feels a strong connection to Kahlo\u2019s groundbreaking influence as a Latina artist who gained international recognition, citing Houston life and co-host Tessa Barrera\u2019s comment that she is the first Latina principal dancer for Houston Ballet.<\/p>\n

As part of preparing for the role, Gonz\u00e1lez had the chance to visit a special exhibition featuring Kahlo\u2019s work at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The collaboration between the museum and Houston Ballet allowed dancers to experience Kahlo\u2019s artwork up close.<\/p>\n

Standing in front of Kahlo\u2019s paintings, Gonz\u00e1lez says, helped her better understand the artist\u2019s spirit and emotional depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helped me find her spirit, her strength. Just looking at her portraits. It\u2019s something — still get goosebumps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bringing Kahlo\u2019s life to the stage also comes with challenges. Gonz\u00e1lez describes the role as both physically and emotionally demanding.<\/p>\n

Kahlo endured tremendous hardship throughout her life, including serious injuries and ongoing health struggles. Rather than portraying her as a victim, the ballet explores how she transformed pain into powerful art.<\/p>\n

For Gonz\u00e1lez, she says it was also a journey for her to discover the emotional weight. <\/p>\n

The ballet\u2019s choreography was created by acclaimed choreographer Annabelle L\u00f3pez Ochoa<\/a>, who Gonz\u00e1lez says has become a powerful voice for women in the ballet world.<\/p>\n

Her choreography blends bold imagery with storytelling that makes Kahlo\u2019s life accessible for audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe choreography is so powerful, theatrical and so easy to the eye for the audience to understand.\u201d <\/p>\n

The production also features elaborate costumes and props that dancers must rehearse with extensively before stepping on stage. Flowing dresses and layered fabrics play an important role in representing cultural identity and visual storytelling.<\/p>\n

Dancers often spend weeks practicing with the costumes so they can move seamlessly through lifts, turns and partner work.<\/p>\n

Despite the physical demands, Gonz\u00e1lez says bringing Kahlo\u2019s story to life has been incredibly rewarding. She also credits Houston\u2019s strong arts community for supporting productions like this.<\/p>\n

Audiences still have three opportunities to see the performance. Broken Wings<\/a> runs at the Wortham Theater Center<\/a> through March 22.<\/p>\n

Broken Wings info at Houston Ballet (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston \u2013 The story of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has come to life on stage at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[22926,56,58,57,69],"class_list":["post-207326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-frida-kahlo","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}