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Best Icehouse

West Alabama Ice House

Sure, it's the obvious choice, but you just can't front on the good-time atmosphere at this airy juke joint. Cheap beers, pretty bohemian bartenders, roots rock and free hot dogs on Friday make this icehouse in the heart of the Montrose a weekly stop for many River Oaks rednecks, broke punk rockers, bikers, yuppies, dog enthusiasts and lager lovers in general. If they added a couple more toilets, people might pitch tents in the backyard and never leave. It's a place where everybody knows your name, whether you want them to or not -- a haven for friendly drunks who don't mind sharing a picnic table with you and just might challenge you to a game of 'shoes. That's the only drawback: You gotta watch for the drunks pitching horseshoes; sometimes they swing a little wide.

Best Icehouse

West Alabama Ice House

Sure, it's the obvious choice, but you just can't front on the good-time atmosphere at this airy juke joint. Cheap beers, pretty bohemian bartenders, roots rock and free hot dogs on Friday make this icehouse in the heart of the Montrose a weekly stop for many River Oaks rednecks, broke punk rockers, bikers, yuppies, dog enthusiasts and lager lovers in general. If they added a couple more toilets, people might pitch tents in the backyard and never leave. It's a place where everybody knows your name, whether you want them to or not -- a haven for friendly drunks who don't mind sharing a picnic table with you and just might challenge you to a game of 'shoes. That's the only drawback: You gotta watch for the drunks pitching horseshoes; sometimes they swing a little wide.

Best Actress

Elizabeth Heflin, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?

Redheaded diva Elizabeth Heflin reigns supreme at the Alley Theatre. She can't really help it. Besides the fact that she's drop-dead gorgeous, with porcelain skin and flaming hair, she's also a firecracker of energy on stage. Anyone who saw her in Edward Albee's The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? felt her red-hot energy as she exploded on stage. Heflin portrayed a woman scorned by her husband who was in love with a goat, of all things -- a postmodern wife facing the ultimate in postmodern betrayals. Fiercely intelligent, brutal and capable of primal wails that resonate throughout the theater, Heflin gave a performance that no one who loves theater is likely to forget.

Best Actress

Elizabeth Heflin, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?

Redheaded diva Elizabeth Heflin reigns supreme at the Alley Theatre. She can't really help it. Besides the fact that she's drop-dead gorgeous, with porcelain skin and flaming hair, she's also a firecracker of energy on stage. Anyone who saw her in Edward Albee's The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? felt her red-hot energy as she exploded on stage. Heflin portrayed a woman scorned by her husband who was in love with a goat, of all things -- a postmodern wife facing the ultimate in postmodern betrayals. Fiercely intelligent, brutal and capable of primal wails that resonate throughout the theater, Heflin gave a performance that no one who loves theater is likely to forget.

Best Dancer

Dominic Walsh

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.

Best Dancer

Dominic Walsh

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.

Best Lighting Designer

Tony Tucci

Tony Tucci may call Austin home, but his lustrous lighting in last season's revival of Ben Stevenson's Cinderella proves that he's still the best lighting designer working in Houston. From ballet to musical theater to film, Tucci's work has inspired directors, choreographers and audiences alike. He's won numerous awards and worked with such impressive ballet names as Christopher Bruce, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones. He also designed the lighting for the Cultural Olympiad in the 1996 Summer Olympics. We're just happy he makes his way to the Bayou City every once in a while.

Best Lighting Designer

Tony Tucci

Tony Tucci may call Austin home, but his lustrous lighting in last season's revival of Ben Stevenson's Cinderella proves that he's still the best lighting designer working in Houston. From ballet to musical theater to film, Tucci's work has inspired directors, choreographers and audiences alike. He's won numerous awards and worked with such impressive ballet names as Christopher Bruce, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones. He also designed the lighting for the Cultural Olympiad in the 1996 Summer Olympics. We're just happy he makes his way to the Bayou City every once in a while.

Best Modern Dance Company

Hope Stone

The tide has raised all boats in Houston's modern dance community. And the consistently improving quality of contemporary dance here is at least partially attributable to the arrival of dancer and choreographer Jane Weiner in 1997. Today, new companies, like Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, are exploding onto the scene, while older ones, like Suchu Dance and Weave, are hitting their stride. But Weiner's company, Hope Stone, is still the top pick. Her Doug Elkins-based movement and quirky sense of humor make for performances that are both sublime and fun.

Best Modern Dance Company

Hope Stone

The tide has raised all boats in Houston's modern dance community. And the consistently improving quality of contemporary dance here is at least partially attributable to the arrival of dancer and choreographer Jane Weiner in 1997. Today, new companies, like Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, are exploding onto the scene, while older ones, like Suchu Dance and Weave, are hitting their stride. But Weiner's company, Hope Stone, is still the top pick. Her Doug Elkins-based movement and quirky sense of humor make for performances that are both sublime and fun.

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