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 basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year (typically thirty or forty weeks) are the norm. 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. He or she is usually a retired dancer, and often he choreographs some of the company's productions himself. In a large company he will have one or more assistants. Day to day coaching of the dancers is the responsibility of one or more ballet masters and ballet mistresses. Some companies also employ répétiteurs and dance notators. There is often a resident choreographer.
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. 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 recognised as the prima ballerina, but this practice has ceased. Male and female dancers were historically split into separate hierarchies (for more information see ballerina). Today, many companies choose to use a gender-neutral hierarchy. Some companies (mainly in Russia and countries strongly influenced by Russian ballet) employ specialist character dancers: unlike ballerinas female character dancers do not dance en pointe. The largest ballet company in the world is the Bolshoi Ballet 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, generally a conductor by profession, though this is often a part-time position. The music director has a lower status in ballet than he has in opera, where he is the head of the company. Freelance conductors are hired to conduct specific productions as and when required. Large companies have their own orchestra, 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 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 physiotherapists, masseurs, and physical trainers on the staff.
Asian classical ballet traditions[]
The term "ballet" is sometimes used to refer to dance styles in any culture's classical tradition, mainly in reference to classical styles of dance performed in parts of Asia. Classical is often performed in Indonesia. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia 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[]
This section does not cite any sources. (December 2013) |
Asia[]
Armenia
- Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theater
Azerbaijan
China
- Guangzhou Ballet
- National Ballet of China
- Shanghai Ballet
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Kazakhstan
Mongolia
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
- Formosa Ballet
Thailand
Uzbekistan
Caribbean[]
Cuba
Europe[]
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
- National Opera and Ballet
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
- Vanemuine Theatre
Finland
France
- Paris Opera Ballet
- (Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Colmar, France)
- Ballet National de Marseille
- Lyon Opera Ballet
- Malandain Ballet Biarritz
Greece
Germany
- Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
- Bavarian State Ballet, from 1988: Bayerisches Staatsballett
- Berlin State Ballet
- Hamburg Ballet
- Stuttgart Ballet
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
- Aterballetto (Reggio-Emilia, Emilia-Romagna)
- La Scala Theatre Ballet
- (Florence)
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Monaco
- Les Ballets de Monte Carlo
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
- National Ballet of Portugal - CNB
Romania
- Romanian National Opera Ballet
- Cluj-Napoca Romanian Opera Ballet
Russia
- The Kremlim Ballet Theatre. Moscow
- Ballets Russes
- Bolshoi Ballet
- Eifman Ballet
- Kirov Ballet / Mariinsky Ballet
- St Petersburg Ballet Theatre - Konstantin Tashkin
- Mikhaylovsky Theatre
- Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre
Serbia
Slovak
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
- Basel Ballet
- Zurich Ballet
Turkey
United Kingdom
Ukraine
- Donetsk Ballet
- Kiev Ballet
Middle East[]
Egypt
- Cairo Opera Ballet Company (Egypt)
Iran
- Les Ballets Persans (Iranian National Ballet re-established in Sweden)
Israel
Oceania[]
Australia
- The Australian Ballet
- Ballet Theatre of Queensland
- [1]
- 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
- Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Mexico
United States
- American Ballet Theatre
- American Repertory Ballet
- Anaheim Ballet
- Atlanta Ballet
- Ballet Arizona
- Ballet Austin
- Ballet San Jose
- Ballet Memphis
- Ballet Nouveau Colorado
- Ballet West
- Boston Ballet
- Carolina Ballet
- Cincinnati Ballet
- Chicago Ballet
- Colorado Ballet
- Dance Theatre of Harlem
- Dayton Ballet
- Eugene Ballet
- Houston Ballet
- Joffrey Ballet
- Kansas City Ballet
- Los Angeles Ballet
- Louisville Ballet
- Madison Ballet
- Miami City Ballet
- Milwaukee Ballet
- Mystic Ballet
- New Jersey Ballet
- New York City Ballet
- New York Theatre Ballet
- North Carolina Dance Theater
- Oklahoma City Ballet
- Oregon Ballet Theatre
- Orlando Ballet
- Pennsylvania Ballet
- Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Pacific Northwest Ballet
- Paradosi Ballet Company
- National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico
- Richmond Ballet
- Sacramento Ballet
- San Francisco Ballet
- Sarasota Ballet
- Texas Ballet Theater
- Tulsa Ballet
- Washington Ballet
South America[]
Argentina
Brazil
- Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro
Chile
Colombia
Peru
Uruguay
- National Ballet of Uruguay
See also[]
Cleveland Ballet
References[]
- ^ "Spot the difference: Melbourne Ballet Company and Melbourne City Ballet". Dance Australia. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- Ballet companies
- Ballet-related lists