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THE COMPANY

American Ballet Theatre

Bringing Dance to America and American Dance to the World®

Welcome to ABT.

American Ballet Theatre is an internationally celebrated cultural institution. We are America’s National Ballet Company® because we are dedicated to preserving and extending the great legacy of classical dancing.

At ABT, we know that by sharing art we can develop a global community of art enthusiasts that transcends cultural boundaries. The American Ballet Theatre team – from staff, artists, and our Board of Trustees, to our dedicated volunteers – works tirelessly to produce innovative performances, reach the widest possible audience, and provide the highest quality education in classical dance.

At your fingertips is a wealth of information, but be warned: the more you learn, the more you’re going to fall in love. On behalf of our entire team, welcome to American Ballet Theatre.

Our Mission:

To create, to present, to preserve and to extend the great repertoire of classical dancing, through exciting performances and educational programming of the highest quality, presented to the widest possible audience.

Artistic Vision

At American Ballet Theatre, we embrace a rich tradition that seamlessly blends timeless classics with groundbreaking contemporary works. Our unwavering commitment to artistic excellence and innovation, strengthened by working with world-class dancers and choreographers, forms the cornerstone of ABT’s vision.

Since our inception in 1939, ABT has collaborated with the world’s foremost choreographers, integrating tradition with modernity. Our Company showcases masterpieces created on our dancers by luminaries like George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Anthony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Kenneth MacMillan, and Twyla Tharp, alongside pioneering works by contemporary visionaries such as Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, and Wayne McGregor.

The fabric of the Company is rooted in this dynamic blend. We honor the classics, ensuring the legacy of ballet’s great narratives, while embracing new works that reflect the evolving landscape of ballet and our dedication to pushing the boundaries of the art form. This balance has always been and will continue to be the essence of ABT.

As America’s National Ballet Company®, recognized by an act of Congress in 2006, we are entrusted with preserving the most treasured masterworks of this art form. The great full-length story ballets, such as Swan Lake and Giselle, are more than choreographic feats; they are emotional epics that explore the depths of the human experience through the transcendent language of movement. These canonical classics connect us to our shared humanity, representing an artistic legacy of unsurpassed beauty and depth.

To ensure ballet remains vibrantly relevant, ABT is committed to commissioning new works from boundary-pushing choreographers; upholding the tradition of the many masterworks we revere today, as those too were once revolutionary innovations of their time.

By nurturing daring creative voices, welcoming fresh aesthetics, cultures, and perspectives into our repertoire, and collaborating with our world-class dancers, we expand ballet’s expressive vocabulary and ensure its continued relevance. These groundbreaking new works inject vibrancy and allow our art form to evolve organically, just as the classics emerged from their own times. Through this interplay of heritage and innovation, we honor the masterpieces of the past while forging a bold future for this transcendent art.

To our audiences, donors, members, and fans, we promise to deliver performances that inspire and captivate, preserving the timeless beauty of ballet while embracing the innovative spirit that propels us forward. Your support enables us to continue our mission and share the transformative power of ballet with the world.

Our History

Where It All Began.

American Ballet Theatre is considered one of the greatest dance companies in the world, revered as a living national treasure since its founding in 1939. Few ballet companies rival ABT in size, scope, and outreach. Though located in New York City, ABT annually tours the United States – performing for 300,000 people annually – and is the only major cultural institution to do so. The Company has made more than 30 international tours to 45 countries in order to share American ballet with the world, and on many of these engagements ABT received sponsorship from the State Department of the United States Government.

In the Autumn of 1939, ABT was launched with the mission of developing a repertoire of the best ballets from the past, and the creation of new works by gifted choreographers, wherever they might be found. Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith (1945 – 1980), the Company more than fulfilled this mission.

Members of the Artistic Committee of Ballet Theatre in 1947: Jerome Robbins, Lucia Chase, Agnes de Mille, Oliver Smith and Aaron Copland. Photo: Cecil Beaton.Members of the Artistic Committee of Ballet Theatre in 1947: Jerome Robbins, Lucia Chase, Agnes de Mille, Oliver Smith and Aaron Copland. Photo: Cecil Beaton.

Perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, ABT’s celebrated repertoire includes beloved full-length classics from the nineteenth century: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle; many of the finest works from the twentieth century: Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas, Fancy Free, RodeoAirs, Push Comes to Shove, In the Upper Room, and Duets; and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces, including Shostakovich Trilogy and Serenade after Plato’s Symposium. Throughout the curation of this exquisite repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by celebrated choreographic minds of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others.

Mikhail Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre in 1980, succeeding Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith. Under his leadership, numerous classical ballets were staged, restaged, and refurbished and ABT strengthened and refined the classical tradition. In 1990, Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith succeeded Baryshnikov and established an agenda dedicated to maintaining the great traditions of the past while aggressively pursuing a vital and innovative future.

The original cast of Pillar of Fire (1942): Hugh Laing, Nora Kaye, Lucia Chase, Annabelle Lyon and Antony Tudor. Photo: Maurice Seymour.The original cast of Pillar of Fire (1942): Hugh Laing, Nora Kaye, Lucia Chase, Annabelle Lyon and Antony Tudor. Photo: Maurice Seymour.

In October 1992, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director. McKenzie, steadfast in his vision of ABT as “American,” was committed to maintaining the Company’s vast repertoire, and to bringing the art of dance theater to the great stages of the world.

Former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Susan Jaffe was named Artistic Director in December 2022. Jaffe is dedicated to preserving the beauty and depth of classical ballet while moving the Company artistically into the future, expanding ABT’s audience, and exploring diverse choreographers and styles.

In keeping with ABT’s long-standing commitment to bring the finest in dance to the widest international audience, the Company has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Paris, and Muscat, Oman.

On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre was designated America’s National Ballet Company®.

The original cast of Fancy Free (1944): Jerome Robbins, John Kriza, Harold Lang, Janet Reed and Muriel Bentley. Photo: Maurice Seymour.The original cast of Fancy Free (1944): Jerome Robbins, John Kriza, Harold Lang, Janet Reed and Muriel Bentley. Photo: Maurice Seymour.

Lucia Chase Tribute

ABT Co-Founder Lucia Chase was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame for 2018.  The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame publicly honors the achievements of Connecticut women, preserves their stories, educates the public and inspires the continued achievements of women and girls.

Lucia Chase Tribute Film

Who We Are

Designated America’s National Ballet Company® by an Act of Congress in 2006

Headquartered in New York City with spring and fall seasons at Lincoln Center

Committed to expanding ethnic and cultural diversity and inclusion in classical ballet through ABT RISE

What We Believe

DEI Pledge

We are American Ballet Theatre. We believe that Representation and Inclusion Sustain Excellence “ABT RISE.” For the last 80 years, ABT has delivered the beauty and art of dance to stages all over the country and the world. As we reflect upon our history, we recommit to addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within our organization and through our programming. We commit to investing in DEI across all aspects of our institution, and we will work collaboratively to develop policies and practices that eliminate marginalization. We strongly believe in fostering, preserving, and advancing a culture of equity in order to ensure an inclusive atmosphere both onstage and behind the scenes.

Further, ABT condemns racism and discrimination. We are committed to building and promoting an antiracist and anti-discriminatory community through active introspection and self-awareness. We are actively engaged in becoming a more equitable institution by continuing to create consistent opportunities for open and safe discussions amongst our colleagues and with the guidance of experts, by facilitating ongoing anti-discrimination and antiracist training, and by using our art form to amplify marginalized voices. In doing so, we will promote awareness, acceptance and understanding within our organization and in the communities we serve.

This work will strengthen our ability to fulfill the essence of our vision as America’s National Ballet Company®: to engage and inspire communities through the diversity, dynamism and power of world class dance.

Quick Stats

480+
cities toured in 45 countries
180+
new works commisioned
94
Company dancers from 15 countries & 22 states
300K+
audience members annually
1M+
active & engaged social media fans
40K+
reached annually through ABT’s training & community programs

Reports & Financials

Explore ABT’s 2023 Impact Report.

Previous ABT Impact Reports


Explore ABT’s financials by selecting a year below.

Photo: John Grigaitis.

Master Calendar

View our Master Calendar to see our full schedule of Performances, Training and Community events in New York City, nationally and globally.

Learn More

Photo: Rosalie O'Connor

ABT News

Keep up to date with the latest ABT news and announcements through our Press Releases.

Browse News

Photo: Gregory Heisler.

Repertory Archive

Immerse yourself in the legacy of classical dance that ABT is dedicated to preserving and extending by exploring our Repertory Archive.

View Archive