Connor Walsh was just 21 years old when he was promoted to principal dancer with the Houston Ballet making him the youngest person ever to achieve that level with the company. He joined the company in 2004 as a member of the corps de ballet (that was the same year he won a gold award in the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts). He became a soloist in 2006 and principal dancer in 2007. In three years, he achieved what most dancers take a decade to do. It's clear why — he's athletic, powerful and graceful onstage. Technically, he's near perfect and artistically, he has the ability to move easily from playing a dashing prince in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker to performing as the mischievous Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.