Best Dancer

Balletomanes have been eyeing Nicky Walsh for years at Houston Ballet. He shines in the classical works as well as contemporary pieces by the likes of Christopher Bruce. But this past season was a real breakthrough: Walsh simultaneously solidified his role as one of the ballet's leading males (snagging the lead in the new Paul Taylor piece) and launched his own company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, to critical acclaim. His choreographic works, Flames of Eros and Katharsis, show promise, but he's still more of a dynamo when dancing. Here's hoping he doesn't move out of that realm anytime soon.