New York City Ballet
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General Information

Name : New York City Ballet

Previous Names: American Ballet, Ballet Caravan, American Ballet Caravan, The Ballet Society

Year Founded: 1948

Founders: George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein

Choreographers: Jerome Robbins

Location: USA

Brief history

NYCB began as a result of Lincoln Kirstein's ultimate dream - To create an American classical ballet company and to train young local dancers to perform this new, modern repertory.

Kirstein went on a quest to make his American ballet dream happen...

In 1933 Kirstein met George Balanchine where the pair agreed to start a school in America which was to begin the aim of American ballet. This school was to train and school dancers under the guidance of the world's greatest ballet masters.

It wasn't an easy process to achieve the dream. Many years of unsuccessful efforts and several ballet companies that were created and discontinued. It was only the presence of the School that gave any hope towards the American ballet dream.

Kirstein and Balanchine kept preserving and formed a company called Ballet Society. They presented their new company at New York's City Center for Music and Drama. The chairman was excited by the dancer's performance and suggested for Kirstein to convert the company into a New York City Ballet.

Within a few years the company was up and coming, giving New York the finest ballet company in America.

Dancers

The company is made up of dancers that have trained at the associated school, The School of American Ballet.

The company is entirely responsible for training its own artists and creating its own works.

NYCB is one of the biggest dance organizations in America. It has approximately 90 dancers. The dancers go up by rank - Corps de ballet, Soloists and Principals.

Associate Schools

The School of American Ballet is the official training academy of the New York City Ballet. It has trained numerous dancers who have gone on to join New York City Ballet and dozens of global companies.

The school is situated at New York City's Lincoln Center and has approximately 350 boys and girls, ranging in age from six to eighteen,

Repertoire

The company has a very wide variety of repertoire with well known classic productions such as Swan Lake, Firebird and Don Quixote. y It has an active repertory of over 150 works, primarily choreographed by Balanchine, Robbins and Peter Martins.

The company strive to create cutting-edge new work that show the talents of contemporary choreographers and composers, and pieces that reflect to the time in which it is made.

Location and Tours

The company has two permanent homes, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.

NYCB has made many appearances in the capitals of Europe. The company have also performed in Australia, Brazil, Japan, Sicily, South Korea and Taiwan. They made three historic trips to Russia along with visits to several of the major cities of the United States and Canada.

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