San Francisco Ballet
A World Class Company
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San Francisco Ballet is America’s oldest professional ballet company. It is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States and strives to share the joy of dance.
General Information Name: San Francisco Ballet Previous Names: San Francisco Opera Ballet Year Founded: 1933 Current Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson Official website: www.sfballet.org Brief history The company was founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. Originally, its main purpose was to train dancers perform in lavish, full-length opera productions. However, in 1942 the company split in two, creating separate companies for ballet and opera, forming San Francisco Ballet. In 1951, leading dancer, Lew Christensen, joined Willam Christensen as co-director. The company started to broaden their travels and began to establish themselves as a significant American ballet company. In 1957, they were the first American ballet company to tour the Far East, performing in eleven Asian nations. In 1972, Lew brought the company to its home, the War Memorial Opera House, and named the theatre as its official residence. Dancers Approximately 50 percent of the dancers in the Company trained training at the associate school. Associated ballet school Both the company and the school were established in 1933 as a single organization by Gaetano Merola, founding director of San Francisco Opera. Today, the school is directed by Helgi Tomasson and attracts students from around the world, training approximately 350 yearly. The school offers a training program for those who desire a career in ballet. Students have gone on to dance with the official company and other companies as Ballet San Jose, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and New York City Ballet. Repertoire The company carries on to expand its repertory and offers approximately 100 performances yearly. In current years, the Company’s touring program has become ever more ambitious. The Company has a broad repertory and includes works by prominent choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Wayne McGregor, Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Marius Petipa. Location The company is currently situated in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California. The War Memorial Opera House is one of the most exquisite and technologically developed performing arts centers in the world. It is a true gem to San Francisco.
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