BalletMet is an American

ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...

and academy based in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. Located in downtown Columbus, BalletMet facilities include a black box theatre performance space, seven dance studios, administrative offices and costume and scene shops. BalletMet's professional company stages 60 to 70 performances each year in Columbus and on tour. In the past, the company has toured 28 U.S. states and internationally to Russia, Poland, Egypt, Spain and Canada. BalletMet operates a dance academy that instructs about 1,500 students of all ages yearly. Classes offered include ballet, tap, modern, and pilates. The current Academy Director is Maria Torija, a former professional dancer with

Berlin State Ballet The Berlin State Ballet (german: Staatsballett Berlin, links=no, italic=no) is the principal ballet company in the German capital of Berlin. It was created in 2004 through a merger of the separate ballet companies of the city's three opera house ...

. BalletMet developed DanceReach, a series of educational and outreach programs serving nearly 30,000 people annually. The DanceReach program offers up to 60 scholarships each year to talented youth, many from minority and under-served groups, who could not otherwise participate in dance training. The current company came into existence in July 1978, with a $200,000 grant from the Battelle Memorial Institute Foundation. At that time it consisted of three staff and 12 dancers, and soon hired Wayne Soulant as its first artistic director. By 1997, the company had expanded to 25 dancers. The current company consists of 26 dancers and a second company of 6 dancers.

Artistic Directors

* Wayne Soulant (1978–86) * John McFall (1986–94) * David Nixon (1995–2001) * Gerard Charles (2001–12) * Edwaard Liang (2013–present)

Current Dancers

BalletMet's current company consists of the following dancers: *Miguel Anaya *TyLeigh Baughman *Jessica Brown *Leiland Charles *Francesca Dugarte *Zachary Guthier *Johnathon Hart *Jonathan Jordan *Kristie Latham *Lily Mangianruga *Sophie Miklosovic *Jim Nowakowski *Rachael Parini *Austin Powers *Grace-Anne Powers *Sean Rollofson *Lisset Santander *Alvin Tovstogray *Caitlin Valentine *Carly Wheaton *David Ward *Karen Wing

References

External links

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{{authority control Met, Ballet 1978 establishments in Ohio Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups from Columbus, Ohio Dance in Ohio