Stanton Welch, artistic director for the Houston Ballet, created an important new work for last season, a new Romeo and Juliet. (For the last 28 years the company has been performing a production created by Ben Stevenson.) Bringing a fresh take on the classic romance, Welch found a lovely mix of strength and grace, tragedy and nuance. Welch brought Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno to create the sets and costumes, both of which added to the spectacle and spirit of the work. Connor Walsh and Karina Gonzalez were among the three couples who shared the title roles; Sara Webb and Jared Matthews and Melody Mennite and Ian Casady were the others.