A ballet company is a type of

dance troupe A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different list of dance ...

that performs

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

neoclassical ballet Neoclassical ballet is the style of 20th-century classical ballet exemplified by the works of George Balanchine. The term "neoclassical ballet" appears in the 1920s with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, in response to the excesses of romanti ...

, and/or

contemporary ballet Contemporary ballet is a dance genre that incorporates elements of classical ballet and modern dance. It employs classical ballet technique and in many cases classical pointe technique as well, but allows a greater range of movement of the upper ...

in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year (typically thirty or forty weeks) are normally offered. A company generally has a home theatre where it stages the majority of its performances, but many companies also tour in their home country or internationally. Ballet companies routinely make a loss at the box office and depend on external financial support of one kind or another. In Europe, most of this support comes in the form of government subsidies, though private donations are usually solicited as well. In North America, private donations are the main source of external funding. Many ballet companies have an associated school which trains dancers. Traditionally the school would provide almost all of the company's dancers, something which helped to create clear distinctions in style between companies, but 21st-century ballet has open hiring practices, and many ballet companies have a very international staff.

Staff

The head of a ballet company is called the

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

. They are usually a retired dancer, and often they choreograph some of the company's productions themselves. In a large company, they will have one or more assistants. Day-to-day coaching of the dancers is the responsibility of one or more

ballet master A ballet master (also balletmaster, ballet mistress, ''premier maître de ballet'' or ''premier maître de ballet en chef'') is an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company. In mo ...

s and ballet mistresses. Some companies also employ

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

s and dance notators. There is often a resident

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

. All but the smallest companies divide their dancers into at least three grades. The most common names for the two higher grades in English are principal and soloist and the junior dancers form the

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French language, French for "body of the little dance") is the group of ballet dancer, dancers who are not principal dancers or Soloist (ballet), soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and ...

. Some companies (especially in North America) have trainees or apprentices, who rank below the corps de ballet and may be unpaid. Some companies further subdivide these grades, and the terminology used varies from company to company. In the 19th century and early to mid-20th century the top female dancer was often recognized as the

prima ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

, but this practice has ceased. Male and female dancers were historically split into separate hierarchies (for more information see

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

). Today, many companies choose to use a gender-neutral hierarchy. Some companies (mainly in Russia and countries strongly influenced by

Russian ballet Russian ballet () () is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. Imperial Russian ballet Ballet had already dawned in Russia long before start of the 17th century as per the previous publications by certain authors. In this ...

) employ specialist

character dance Character dance is a specific subdivision of classical dance. It is the stylized representation of a traditional folk or national dance, mostly from European countries, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theater. Char ...

rs: unlike ballerinas female character dancers do not dance

en pointe Because ballet became formalized in France, a significant part of ballet terminology is in the French language. A À la seconde () (Literally "to second") If a step is done "à la seconde", it is done to the side. 'Second position'. It can also ...

. The largest ballet company in the world is the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest Ballet company, ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it ca ...

of Moscow, which employs over 240 dancers, as of 2010. The largest companies in Western Europe and North America employ around one hundred. Many companies have a

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

, generally a conductor by profession, though this is often a part-time position. The music director has a lower status in ballet than they have in opera, where they are the head of the company. Freelance conductors are hired to conduct specific productions as and when required. Large companies have their own

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, which is often shared with an opera company resident in the same theatre or opera house. Smaller companies hire a local orchestra on a contract basis for each season of performances, or hire a

scratch orchestra The Scratch Orchestra was an experimental musical ensemble founded in the spring of 1969 by Cornelius Cardew, Michael Parsons and Howard Skempton. In the draft constitution published in the ''Musical Times'' of June 1969, Cardew defines a scra ...

for specific performances, e.g. when they are on tour. During company classes and rehearsals, music is provided by one or more staff or freelance pianists. All but the smallest companies have a separate administrative staff that deals with marketing, accounts, personnel issues, logistics and so on. Larger companies employ a permanent staff of craftsmen and craftswomen such as prop makers and costume makers, and technical staff such as lighting technicians and stage managers. Smaller companies hire freelancers for these roles as and when required. Some companies also have

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

s, masseurs, and physical trainers on the staff.

Asian classical ballet traditions

The term "

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

" is sometimes used to refer to dance styles in any culture's classical tradition, mainly about classical styles of dance performed in parts of Asia. Classical Ramayana Hindu ballet is often performed in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The

Royal Ballet of Cambodia The Royal Ballet of Cambodia (, ''Robam Preah Reach Troap'', ) is a classical Khmer dance known for its intricate hand movements and elaborate costumes. Historically linked to the Khmer court, it has been performed at various royal ceremonie ...

is an example of a ballet company in the Eastern tradition. The companies listed below are ballet companies that perform according to the European tradition, although some international companies also perform contemporary ballets that merge Western and Eastern themes and dance techniques.

Africa

Algeria * Algerian National Ballet Egypt * Cairo Opera Ballet Company Tunisia * Tunisian National Ballet South Africa * Ballet Theatre Afrikan *

Bovim Ballet Bovim is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Frode Bovim (born 1977), Norwegian sailor * Gunnar Bovim (born 1960), Norwegian physician and civil servant * Ingvill Måkestad Bovim (born 1981), Norwegian track and field athlete {{s ...

* Cape Town City Ballet * Joburg Ballet * Pretoria Ballet * South African Ballet Theatre

Asia

Armenia * Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theater Azerbaijan * Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater China * Guangzhou Ballet * Liaoning Ballet *

National Ballet of China The National Ballet of China (NBC), known in China as the Central Ballet Troupe, is the national ballet company of the People's Republic of China. It was founded on 31 December 1959. The ballet company works from the Tianqiao Theater, which was s ...

* Shanghai Ballet * Suzhou Ballet * Tianjin Ballet Hong Kong * Hong Kong Ballet Indonesia
Namarina
Iran * Les Ballets Persans (Iranian National Ballet re-established in Sweden) Israel * Israel Ballet Japan * Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo * Ballet Chambre Ouest *

Higaki Ballet Company Higaki (written: 桧垣) is a Japanese surname Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan ...

* Houmura Tomoi Ballet * Iwaki Ballet Company * Jinushi Kaoru Ballet Company * K-ballet * Matsuoka Reiko ballet * Matsuyama Ballet * NBA Ballet Company * Noism * Noma Ballet Company * Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Theatre * Ochi International Ballet * Osaka Ballet Academy * Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet * Sasaki Michiko Ballet Studio * Star Dancers Ballet *

Tani Momoko Ballet Tani may refer to: *Tani (letter), a letter in the Georgian scripts *Tani people, a group of tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, India *Tani languages, a group of languages spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, India * Maiani language, also known as Tani, a langu ...

* The Inoue Ballet Foundation *

The Matsuyama Ballet ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

New National Theatre Tokyo The is Japan's first and foremost national centre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. It is located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Since 1997 more than 650 productions were staged. There are about 300 p ...

* Tokyo Ballet * Tokyo City Ballet Kazakhstan * Aukhan Kazakh National Ballet Theatre Mongolia * Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet Philippines * Ballet Manila * Ballet Philippines * Philippine Ballet Theatre Singapore * Singapore Dance Theatre South Korea * Busan Ballet Theatre * Busan City Ballet * Daegu City Ballet Company * Etoile Ballet * Gwangju City Ballet * Hwaseong City Ballet * Incheon City Ballet * Jeonbuk Ballet Theatre * KOR Ballet Company * Korea National Ballet * Lee Won Kook Ballet * SEO Ballet * Seongnam City Ballet * Seoul Ballet * Seoul Ballet Theatre * Seoul City Ballet * Suwon City Ballet * Universal Ballet * Wise Ballet Taiwan * Taiwan Ballet Company *

Capital Ballet Taipei Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economi ...

* Formosa Ballet *

Kaohsiung City Ballet Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of ...

Thailand * Royal Thai Ballet Uzbekistan * Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre

Europe

Austria * Vienna State Ballet * Graz Opera Ballet * Salzburg Ballet Belarus * National Ballet Theatre of Belarus Belgium * Charleroi Danses * Royal Ballet of Flanders Bulgaria * National Opera and Ballet Croatia * Croatian National Theatre Ballet Czech Republic * National Theatre Ballet (Prague) *

Prague State Opera Ballet Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Denmark * Royal Danish Ballet Estonia * Estonian National Opera Ballet *

Vanemuine Theatre Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It is the first Estonian language, Estonian-language theatre. Stemming from the Vanemuine Society (1865), the theatre's first performance was Lydia Koidula's ''Saaremaa Onupoeg'' ("The cousin from S ...

Finland *

Finnish National Ballet Finnish National Ballet (Suomen Kansallisbaletti) is a professional ballet company at the Finnish National Opera, in Helsinki, Finland. The company was founded in 1922 and it currently employs 73 dancers. It is the only Finnish company that regular ...

France *

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

Ballet du Capitole (Toulouse) Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

* Ballet de Lorraine * Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin (Mulhouse) * Ballet de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux *

Ballet National de Marseille The Ballet National de Marseille is a dance company based in Marseille, France. The company combines modern dance and classical ballet. Overview The Ballet National de Marseille was founded by the dancer and choreographer Roland Petit in 1972. T ...

* Lyon Opera Ballet * Marseille Opera Ballet * Malandain Ballet Biarritz Greece * Greek National Opera Germany *

Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe The Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is a theatre and opera house in Karlsruhe, Germany. It has existed in its present form and place at Ettlinger Tor since 1975. Achim Thorwald became the Theater manager, Intendant in summer 2002 and held that ...

* Ballet am Rhein (Düsseldorf & Duisburg) * Bavarian State Ballet, from 1988: Bayerisches Staatsballett * Berlin State Ballet * Dresden Semperoper Ballet *

Frankfurt Ballet Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

* Hamburg Ballet * Leipzig Ballet *

Stuttgart Ballet Stuttgart Ballet is a leading German ballet company. Dating back to 1609, then the court ballet of the dukes of Württemberg, the modern company was founded by John Cranko and is known for full-length narrative ballets. The company received the ...

Hungary * Hungarian National Ballet * Pécsi Ballet * Győri Ballet *

Sopron Ballet Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl, Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-V� ...

Ireland * Monica Loughman Ballet * Ballet Ireland Italy *

Aterballetto This is a list of Aterballetto productions. Aterballetto is an Italian modern dance company founded in 1977 by ATER (Associazione Teatri Emilia Romagna) as "Compagnia di Balletto dei Teatri dell'Emilia Romagna". Its first artistic director was V ...

(Reggio-Emilia, Emilia-Romagna) * La Scala Theatre Ballet * Rome Ballet * Teatro Nuovo Torino * Tuscany Ballet (Florence) * Compagnia di Balletto del Teatro San Carlo Kosovo * Kosovo Ballet Latvia * Latvian National Opera Ballet Lithuania * Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Moldova * Moldova National Opera Ballet Monaco * Les Ballets de Monte Carlo Netherlands * Dutch National Ballet Norway * Norwegian National Ballet Poland * Krakow Opera Ballet * Polish National Ballet * Poznan Opera Ballet * Wroclaw Opera Ballet Portugal * Centro de Dança do Porto * National Ballet of Portugal - CNB * Quorum Ballet Romania * Romanian National Opera Ballet * Cluj-Napoca Romanian Opera Ballet Russia *Kremlin Ballet Theatre *

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

* Eifman Ballet *

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

Mariinsky Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

Moscow Ballet The name Moscow Ballet has commonly been applied to a number of different ballet companies, which include: * Moscow Ballet (United States), a Russian ballet company. The Moscow Ballet tours annually in the United States with its Great Russian '' Nu ...

, various companies * Mikhaylovsky Theatre * Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre * St Petersburg Ballet Theatre - Konstantin Tashkin Serbia * Serbian National Ballet Slovak * Slovak National Theatre Ballet Slovenia * Slovenian National Ballet Spain * Ballet Nacional de España *

Barcelona Ballet The Barcelona Ballet was a classical ballet company based in Barcelona, Spain. Formerly called the Corella Ballet, the company was founded by dancer Angel Corella, Ángel Corella, who is the current artistic director of Pennsylvania Ballet, Phil ...

* Compañía Nacional de Danza * Madrid Ballet Sweden * Gothenburg Opera Ballet *

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Gustav III of Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian ...

Switzerland * Basel Ballet * Geneva Ballet * Lucerne Dance Theatre * Zurich Ballet Turkey *

Istanbul State Ballet Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

United Kingdom * Ballet Black * Birmingham Royal Ballet *

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scott ...

* Northern Ballet *

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

* Scottish Ballet * International London City Ballet Ukraine * Donetsk Ballet * Grand Kyiv Ballet *

Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet () or Lviv Opera (, ) is an opera house located in Lviv, Ukraine's largest western city and one of its cultural centres. Originally built on former marshland of the sub ...

* Kyiv City Ballet * Kyiv Modern-Ballet * National Ballet of Ukraine * Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre

Oceania

Australia *

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur a ...

* Ballet Theatre of Queensland * Melbourne Ballet Company * Melbourne City Ballet * Queensland Ballet * West Australian Ballet New Zealand * The Royal New Zealand Ballet

North America

Canada * Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal * Alberta Ballet * Ballet BC *

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

Cuba * Cuban National Ballet Dominican Republic * Ballet Clasico Nacional de Santo Domingo Mexico *

Ballet de Monterrey Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

National Company of Ballet National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Puerto Rico * National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico * Western Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico United States

South America

Argentina * Ballet Argentino * Colon Theater Ballet Brazil * São Paulo Companhia de Dança * Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro Chile * Chilean National Ballet Colombia * Incolballet Peru * Ballet Municipal de Lima Uruguay * National Ballet of Uruguay

References

{{Authority control * Company, Ballet