Houston Ballet and its artists come together from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences with a common goal – to bring the beauty and artistry of ballet to our community. Get to know these artists and what they are experiencing during this ongoing crisis.
About the Artist
Naazir Muhammad is a member of the Corps de Ballet at Houston Ballet. He is from Brooklyn, New York. He and his identical twin brother, Shaakir, trained with the Houston Ballet Academy. He joined the company in 2017 as an Apprentice and was promoted in 2018 to Houston Ballet’s Corp de Ballet.
Q&A with Naazir Muhammad
What do you miss about dancing/performing?
“I miss the thrill and the high I get from performing. Finishing a hard variation and hearing the audience scream and clap is an unexplainable feeling.”
When we return, what do you hope to see as a Black dancer?
“As a Black dancer I would like to see more young Black men from rougher neighborhoods like mine doing ballet. There is a stereotype that if you’re a ballet dancer, you must be gay. But I don’t know any gay men who do ballet simply because they’re gay. We all do it because we love it, no matter the sexual orientation we are born with!”
Why do we need to #savethearts?
“We need to save the arts because without the arts, there is no life! The arts prepare young learners to be disciplined, intelligent and productive adults.”
Save the arts today and keep our dancers dancing by donating at give.houstonballet.org/donate.